Ha iy
_ a
oe i
* i
state
ees
$184
if
it
Thales
itt) i
+
eat Itt
tt i
ie ietht feratt
yi
if
‘ TURE ttre Ty
ca _ it
SuSE
feet i daveb
ae
oe ; ae :
tenth daa .
ba ts
resesee
Heatet
- Anata a
sa
EH
nee
ut ages Het
ont af
nua i a
ith
Tet
mit
vis rit os it) Stet het
siti setters teighetat ae i iain
a iat isdleiaaletatat sain ae i i
titrataat PSshadenecanabs aueant ue MeAGLE SOAR ESRC
Heide f aietetaltin a aa
a
ie sbi
Ati
titty
ti}
i rhe ty mi
Hi He a a _ it ee
iit ‘a a Ht Ht ible
cue erty it}
a
el
tanattatnt iene
Seah bah ft a eetiity es ntti
a Bae eae as
at ihsieinehtbee int ait
: Teasterted Uitetett a
‘ beaehekea gt
Sith: ; Mts attr
Hit fine ttt : nt
ith tert at i net tt
Ht
eu
sasiotetere:
Hates
piss]
Sores
: Py : \ i yeah t Wy, . Y 7
ay eiohtey ies ed inte ae a ae Hite
i at Hi ria oe ae
} at at i at
sot htetitic ee
: +H te tr the bteseteies
i it 1} a a ae hire bata retibertge: series
en yuri aie head tabs CN att tae ee aad oo Ladidelrist Here His ehepeheferelerelS tetera itl elete le ete lete leet, na eS ie sich >
sat
Had fuente
si didi ils UR eS Ec
it
ae
=
=
ere tt
Waste
: rah stay ates
opteritetetetertert
Sot hater eet se,
peer e fe eee ten!
a aw car RSIS OT AUCs Rye EG Gh aN &
pyuoupevy) ) IY) LOO
AIT uvy i
“LL
ae ae SP
She Sowit of Osweiyo
PD we Lin i G Lats
|
y
NN
‘
Q
Ss
\
Sy
~»
+
sy
N
tA
>
OBSERVATIONS
s ON THE
Libabitants, Climate, Soil, Rivers, Produétions,
Animals, and other matters worthy of Notice.
Mave By
Mr. JOHN BARTRAM,”
| fig PAE From
PrN OS EE ANT A
ee ‘ TO nde
ONONDAGO, Oswec oand the LakeOnraric,
) In CANAD og
To which is annex'd, a curious Account of the
_ CATARACTS ato N IA GAARA,
. . BY MEP Ere eK At we
f é
A Swedifo GENTLEMAN who travelled there.
LON O° N:
Pnnced for J. Wuiston and B. WHITE, in
Fleet-Street, 1751.
is oF
(Price Cue Shilling and Six-pence.)
BOOKS. printed for Jonny Whiston and
Beny. Wuire, in Pleet-Street.
(Zn one Volume Oauo, the fecond Edition, Price 5s. bound.)
IP HE Hiftory of the five Iidian Nations of Canada,
~ ‘which are. the Barrier between the Lugl/h and
French in that Part of the World: With particular Ac-
counts of their Religion, Manners, Cuftoms, Laws and
Government ; their fevéral Battles and Treaties with the
European Nations; their 'Wars with the other Jndians,
anda true Account» of the prefent State of our Tirade
with them. In which are fhewn the great Advantages
of their’ Trade and Alliance to the Briti/hNation, and the In-
trigues and Attempts of the French to difengage them from
us; a Subject nearly\concerning all out American Plan-
tations, and highly meriting the Confideration of the Britib
Nation; with Accounts of feveral other Nations of Jndi-
ans in North America. ;
By CapWwaiLapER CoLpEn, Eq;
One of bis Majefty’s Council, and Surveyor General of Newi-
York. Alfo,
(In Eight Volumes compleat. Price 11. 16s. bound)
I ‘Phe Modern Hufbandman, containing the Practice of
Farming, asit is now carried on by the moft experienced
Farmers_in the feveral Counties of Englands for every
Month in the Year. Containing,
r. The Timber and Fruit’ Tree,improyed, or the beft
Practical Methods of improving different Lands with
proper Timber.
z. Agriculture improv’d, or the Pradtice of Hufbandry
difplay’d, fhewn by Faéts perform’d on all Sorts of Land,
according to the old plain, and the new Drill Way of
Ploughing. |
, Chiltern and Vale Farming explain’d, according to
the lateft Improvements. By Witt. Eris, Farmer,
at Little Gaddefden in Hertfordfbire.
Ul. The Britifh Merchant, containing the Sentiments of
the moft eminent and judicious Merchants of theCity of Lon-
don,concerning the Trade andCommerce of thefeKingdoms ;
particularly that which relates to France, Spain and Por-
tucal. Tluftrated with Notes and Maxims ufeful to Trade
in general. Compos’d by a Body of Merchants, and pub-
lifh’d by Mr. Cares Kina, in three Pocket Volumes,
Price gs.
(ate e: ODT AE Ty
pe £5 3 4
PR BY GENTS STONE
ere A a ie Whar
- de
whe: w.. why ears = fe
SE OS a PS oaks Oe iy 4 a)
REFACE
= que following Journal was kept by
>) Mr. /otn Bavtri am, in his travels
Tp) from his own houfe near ‘Philadel-
\ alg to Onondago, and Owes go On
a he Cadaratin or Ontario Lake. It
is a misfortune to the publick, that this inge-
nious perfon had not a literal education, it is
no wonder therefore, that his ftile is not a clear
as we could with, how ever, in every piece of
his; Avhome. ate puede mar ie of much good
fenfe, penetration, and fincerity, joi in’d‘'to a
commendable curiofity. Tt was to eratify this
dlifpofition, and that of his correfpondents re=
yueft in Anglaud, that he undertook, after
other expeditions, to accompany Mr. /Vezfar on
the bulinefs of the government, ‘and was honour-
ed with the encourage:nent of ice 1e very judict-
ous and perio as noblemen Lere, fince dead, and
the friend hip oftheskilfulleft botanifts in Az ur ope.
it may be proper to inform the reader, that
the negotiations fet on foot in the paeernccs
here related, produced acongrefs at Lancajter
in £¢ enfale ania, begun the aad of Fume follow-
ing, which was laura with the he d for fuc-
fist in an amicable adjuftment of all differences
between soe parties, ees the mediation of the
eovernor of Pe fly tS This treaty was print-
B ed
Se
il Po Ri a BoA. Gagan
ed the fame year at Philadelphia, aid is to be
found in Mr. Colden’s biftory of the 5 Indian
Nations. A book worthy of the readers perufal.
This journal was by feveral accidents prevent-
ed from arriving in Avgland till Fune 1750, and
is now made publick without the author’s know-
ledge, at the inftance of feveral gentlemen, who
were more in number than could cofiveniently
perufe the manufcript. Had he intended it for
publication he would have made.it probably
more entertaining and perhaps have retrenched
fome parts that make the leaft figure in it.
The friend to whom he fent it, thought
himfelf not at liberty to make any material
alteration, though as it now appears, many
who feek only amufement in what they read,
will in thofe places be difappointed where only
are treated of the feveral plants with which
nature has bountifully covered the hills and
valleys he travers’d, with the various quali-
ties of the foil and climate.
But when it is confider’d, of how great im-
portance af intimate acquaintance with the na-
tural ftate of this vaft wilderneds, and its capa-
city of further improvement is to Great Lritai,
and how little the endeavours of our country-
ren have yet advanced this work, while we are
indebted to our moit dangerous rivals for the
little we do know, who will, if poffible, repay
themfelves by excluding us from all we do not
actually cultivate, and leave us that only while
they want power to take it from as: I cannot
but
Pier eo A Gr, il
but think this plain yet fenfible piece merits
attention. It is by purfuing the difcovery of
the interior ftate of this great continent, that
we can fcarcely fail attaining and end, the moft
worthy the aim of a great maritime power,
honoured as well as ftrengthened by a fair pro-
geny of the moft flourifhing colonies in the
world, and of which a good Eugh/bman with
peculiar pleafure will find P. Charlevoix con-
fefng (however unwilling to own any thing
inconfiftent with the glory of his country) that
France cannot behold them without Terror.
Knowledge muft precede a fettlement, and
when Penfilvania and Virginia fhall have ex-
tended their habitations to the branches of the -
Miffiffippt that water thefe provinces, on the
weit fide of the Blue Mountains, we may rea-
fonably hope to infure a fafe and eafy commu-
nication with the moft remote known parts of
North America, and to fecure the poffeflion of a
dominion unbounded by any prefent difcoveries.
If this defirable profpect appear chimerical,
becaufe great and diftant, it is at leaft true,
that no obftacle can be pointed out, but what
we may eafily remove,
England already poffefles an uninterrupted
hne of well-peopled provinces on the coaft, fuc-
ceflively begun within lefs than 150 years, fhe
fees them every year augmented by an acceffion
of fubjects, excited by the defire of living under
governments and laws formed on the moft excel-
fent model upon earth. In vain do we-look for
2 an
Se teogsesPebessusds UEeRLGcesSEpL ES MEUUSGu Ne GAbTghg LGU IgSIRE Tg ASy tasESdTmsne gas De siaeedDaRSrecERETESEELALEESgSIS0$ E940 500408 4ARMEETL=QSS9052 ebopSBOT SdS4 GTB EESEEISIGSSESEN EoDeT UREEIREEDSTE GEO”
iV ROR BOE A Gas
an equal profperity among the plantations of
other Luropean nations becaufe every power has
tranfplanted its conftitution with its people.
This furprizing increafe ef people is a founda-
tion that will bear am ignty fuperftructure, we
need no other proof than in the wonderful
growth of one of the provinces, ( Penfilvania
T mean) which tho’ the youngeft of ail, yet
being more particularly founded on the princi-
ples “of moderation (the firfi of all political Vir-
Zues) and every way fam’d for the “widen and
lenity of its government, is become the admi-
ration of thcfe who pompats it with any thing
eee Py hiftory, and the well-known refuge
he oppre[sd and perjecuted, who chear-
i ily aban don their native foil to purchafe the
ineftimable bleffings of liberty. and) peace.
The inhabitants of all thefe colonies*haye
eminently deferyed the character of induftrious
in agriculture and comimerce,. I could with
they had as well deferved that of adventurous
in inland ahi es, in this they have been
much outdone by axeiver Nation, whofe po-
verty of country and unfettled temper have
Aad aa them to fuch von of extending
their poreien as our agriculture and com-
merce no ae neceilary for us to imitate,
In this sili § Perfons may employ themfelves ;
but a more accurate obférver than our author
will not readily be found,
Thewelfare of a shes concerns the country
from whence it derives its origin, in nothing fo
much
fs Ree PwAS CLR oe
much as in the quantity of land broke up for
tillage, the natural confequence of extending the
frontier fettlements. This is not only beneficial
in proportion to the increafe of vent, among the
new {fettlers of comodities exported from the
mother country ; but by preventing the additi-
onal hands from applying themfelves to fuch
manufactures as may interfere with the com-
merce, effectually binders a michief that might
ftop the advantages reaped before. A jealoufy
has long prevailed at home, of manufactures in
America, and it has been ufual for our manu-
faGturers on various occafions to exprefs this
opinion in frequent applications to parliament,
vainly hoping to force a confumption abroad
from the weakeft of all refources, probibitary
laws: But the wifdom of the legiflature has
provided the moft effectual, if not the only re-
medy, by encouraging the vent of the growths
of America, and thereby engaging the inha-
bitants to employ themielves in raifing them ;
a conduc: grounded on the invariable obferva-
tion, that perfection in agriculture naturally pre-
cedes manufactures, wherever a country finds a
market for its produce fufficient to provide
itfelf with the latter. iF
Mr. Ka/m’s narrative of his travels to the
Fails of Niagara, isa proper fupplement to the
journey to Ofwego, his’ voyage begins from
that place, and caries us on further in the
fearch of every thing worthy our notice in this
country : ‘This gentleman is well known to be
! a
= a
air ae Fee ei w(t ade Sa —
> A . é an b=
Sie eet eaSpsahst aS sBstsrgt sete teres tener SS
Dae
——
wrest ress bene bet
——
ESSE SSS
RIS
Ssiteetss
Seetreee ss.
eh bbe oe ete sets Slatted
tts
a Th I Ett
P, RDB POA eee
aman of worth and great skill in natural
hiftory, and his little piece befides the candour
and veracity of the writer, derives a great value
from its being the only account nm our language
of this fupendous object. ~P. Charlevorx an
Author of good credit, @vbere the mterefi of
bis nation and religion are unconcerned) has
given us a defeription perfely agreeable to
Mr. Kalm’s, tho’ much lefs circumftantial :
It was in 1722, 4e was onthe fpot, and the
heights had not then probably been taken by
inftruments, for he feems to think it very diffi-
cult if f poftible ; ; He gueffes the great Fall: to
be 140 or 150 ‘feet fram a -meafure taken by:
founding; and adds, that he has feen {nal}
birds flutter juft above the fall itfelf; we have
likewife an account of this cataract Ph7/, Trans.
mee 371. p.69. from Mr. Borujan tranimitted
vy Mr. Dudley. Mr. Boruffan relates that the
Gaes nor of Canada’s fon the Marguis de Ca-
pice had founded it, and fixed the ari
dicular fall at 26 fathom, this was allo in 1722
1 cannot help taking notice of the alarm Mr.
Kalm’s arrival gavethe Frenchat Niagara. They
are conicious their enjoyment oF this Fort is a
maniteft violation of the alee of Utrecht tho’
they know the juftice of the Euglifh Nation
will not permit them, to. compell the Seveka’s
againit their inclination to di iflodge them.
” Among other curious parts of Mr. Bartram’s
iournal are his though rissa yore together at the
pe on the Origin of the Aborigines of Ame-
VICA §
PeR Ve Ae oP, Vil
vica ; thefe conjectures are fhort, and it is like-
ly occurr’d to him cafually, perhaps they are
not all well grounded, or at moft apply’d to
any but the Lskimaux, however, the fame fen-
timents on this fubject have been fupported by
the learned Grotius in his treatife de Origine Gen-
trum Americanarm,and in his reply to ¥ de Laet.
This queftion has long been agitated with
great warmth, and every {olution of it hitherto,
has found oppoters becaufe thofe who have en-
gaged in the shh Sa have forgot, or wil-
fully miftook, that the point in difpute cannot
: reafonably be, whether it was actually peopled
from one or more particular places? but whe-
ther it might probably be peopled confiftenr
with the Mofaick hiftory ; ether wife it would
be hard to fay, how all this enquiry has been
fo much confined to America, when the paflage
of the inhabitants to many other parts of the
globe is attended with equal difficulties.
P, Charlevoix who has with great exactnefs
abftracted the opinions and arguments of the
writers on this lig has obferved, pee be-
fides the cafy paflage by fea from the coaft of
Guinea to that of ‘Braz sil: If it has not yet
been demonftrated that the new world isc
tiguous to the old on the South ‘Nowe Batt 1d
North-W eft, at leaft the contrary has not been
fhewn,: fo that oy principal difficulties to be
encountered, arife not from the want of a Patz
age, but from Kdalons manner, and language,
which feem irreconcileable to any we are ae-
quainted
Vill PURGE BE Acne
quainted with on this fide the Globe. . But are
the Negroes in Guinea more fimilar in thefe_re-
fpects, to the reft of the world ? Let any one tell
me, why moft of the 4fricans are black and
woolly-pated, and I will {hew him why the 4-
mevricans are red and without hair on their chins,
and many parts of their bodies. After all are we
fufficiently acquainted with the utmoft powers
of nature? to be fure the offspring of the fame
pair in 3 or 4000 years might without a fupet-
tural interpofition become of various complexi-
ons, and fuppofe we were convinced of this,
may not the infinite power that created our firft
parents, and miraculoufly wrought the con-
fufion of tongues, have thus diftinguifh’d
their pofterity for-purpofes only known to his
infinite wifdom. I ought not to omit that. ?.
Charlevisx recommends. a careful obfervation
of thofe Amrican languages, that have the
marks of being original, and a comparifon of
them with thofe of Europe, Afia, and Africa,
and gives very judicious Reafons for depending
ona fimilitude in this, preferable to that of man-
ners; Ifhall only add, that Mr. Lewis Avans
a companion of our. author’s in this journey, and
a skilfull furgeon, has lately publifh’d a.map
of New Tork, Penfilvania,and Ferfey, with part
of Virgimia, Maryland and New-Eugland,
chiefly founded on actual furveys. This map in-
cludes the route here defcribed, which feems laid
down very exactly. And is fold by Mr. Bowle’s
map and print-feller in Cornbill.
OBSERY A-
OBSERVATIONS
MADE BY
Mr.JOHN BARTRAM,
In his Journey from
Penfilvania to Onondago, &c.
oe
S) eos LE 3d of Fuly 1743, I fet out
eer “SS from my houfe on Skuy/fil River,
Lise a with Lewis Evans, and travelled
© WS beyond Perkiomy Creek the firft
~~" ‘day. The weather was exceeding
hot. The 4th, we fet out before day, and
ftopp’d at Marcus Hulin’s by Manatony ; then
crofied Skuylkit, and rode along the ‘weft fide
over rich bottoms, after which we afcended
the fing fill, (fo called from the great num-
ber of wild Turkeys that ufed to fly from them
to the plains) here we had a fine profped of
the Blue Mountains; and over the rich Vale
of Tulpebocken ; the defcent into which is fteep
and -ftoney. Through this vale we travelled
weft,
[ 10 |
welt, and by the way obferved a large fpring
16 feet deep, and above 20 yards wide, which
iffued out of a limeftone rock, the ground
about it pretty level, defcending gradually
towards the fpring which ran eaftward. At
at night we lodged at Conrad Weifers, who
is the general Interpreter, and who went with
us; his bufinefs was to fettle an affair with the
Indians at Onondago.
The 5th, We crofled Tulpehocken Creek
which runs eaft, and emptieth itfelf into
Skuylkel, and a little after a fmall branch of
Swatara which runs Weft into Sufquehanah.
Thefe two large creeks receive moft of the
water of that great rich vale between the
Flying Fills and Tulpehocken Hill, from which
the vale and creek receive ‘their names, and
is itfelf fo called from the Indian word figni-
fying a tortoife, unto which’ the natives of
the country have conceived it bears fome fimi-
litude. And thefe two hills are the fouthern
boundary of this fine’ limeftone valé, many
hundred miles long, and from 10 to 20 mile
broad to the northern boundary formed by the
Great Biue Mountains. :
Having called on a man who was to go
with us and carry part of our provifions to
Shamokm, he could not get his horfe fhod
that day, but we rode to Wilham Parfins's
plantation, wha received and entertained us
| Tae Wala senthe very
fu]
very kiadly ; his houfe is about fix miles from
the Blue Mountains.
The 6th, we fet forward and afcended the
firft Blue ridge, from the top of which we
made an obfervation, Conrad Weifers Hill bear-
ing fouth 20 degrees eaft, the northern prof-
peat to two gaps, thro’ which we were to pafs
to the Nerty Hill, N. 30 deg. W. about 10
miles diftant. The top “and fouth fide of this
ridge is. midling land, half a quarter of a
mile broad, and. produced fome wild grafs,
abundance of fern, oak and chefnut trees.
Defcending the North fide we found it more
poor, fteep and ftony, and came foon to the
firft branch of Swataro which runs between
the ridges, and is 3 miles from the next branch,
all very poor land; but on this fecond branch
it is good low land, with large trees of 5
leaved white pine, poplar, and white oak,
here we dined by a fpruce {wamp.
After dinner we paffed the openings of two
ridges, the laft of which was by the bank of
the principal branch of Stwataro, the foil poor
and ftoney; then we afcended a great ridge
about a mile fteep, and terribly ftoney moft
of the way; near the top is a fine. tho’ fmall
{pring of good water. At this place we were
warned by a well known alarm to keep our
diftance from an enraged rattle fake that
had put himfelf into a coiled poflure of de-
fence, within a dozen yards of our path, but
C2 we
[ 12]
we punifhed his rage by ftriking him dead on
the fpot: he had been highly irritated by
an Indian dog that barked eagerly at him, but
was cunning enough to keep out of his reach,
er nimble enough to avoid the fnake when he
{prung at him. We took notice that while
provoked, he contracted the miufcles of his
{cales fo as to appear very bright and fhining,
but after the mortal ftroke, his fplendor be-
came much diminifhed, this is likewife the
cafe of many of our f{nakes,
The north fide of the Hill is not fo ftony as
the fouth, but yet very poor. Thence we
traveled 7 miles over feveral hollows, fwamps
and {mall ridges, full of ferubby buthes,
and ftill poor and ftoney to the laft great
ridge, which is compofed chiefly of large
gravel, as big as pidgeons or pullets eggs, and
even the rocks feemed but heaps of the fame
materials; the defcent on the north fide is very
fteepand rocky, large cragey rocks are difpofed
on all fides, moft part of the way down, which
brought us to a fine yale, where we lodged by
a creek called Saurel, and were grieyoufly
ftung all night with {mall gnats, fo that Iflepe
very little. | ita
The 7th, we fet out weft from Saurel creek
and traveled down the vale, which is pretty
good land: and leaving the creek, foon crofled
another runing along the north fide of the vale,
by the bank of which we rode through a groy
of
tail
of white Pine, vety lofty aud fo clofe, that
the Sun could hardly fhine through; at the
end of this the two branches joined. Riding a
little farther, we paffed through a gap of a
moderate hill, north by the creek fide, where
we found a fifhing place, moftly a deép hole
near a rock; there we went weft on the north
fide of the creek, and dined at what is called
the Double Eagle. ‘The land hereabouts. is
middling white oak and huckleberry land,
and by the creek fide pretty good wild grafs,
and the 3d branch enters about 30 rood below ;
having crofled this; we went up a vale of
middling foil, covered with high oak Timber,
nearly weft to the top of the hill, (moft of
the way being a white clay under.a fhallow
furface), where we firft obferved the impref
fion of fhells in fome of the loofe ftones, and
from whence we had a fair profpect of the
river Su/guchanab.
The defcent from hence foon brought us to
Mohony, our lodging for this night. Here the
foil is very good throughout the neck, formed
by the river and the creek, which is about, 3
poles wide. It rained this night through ou:
old, tho’ newly erected lodging, which was
an lndian Cabin that we took the liberty to
remove, knowing: they ufually leave behind
them a good ftock of fleas on the ground they
inhabit ; however, the wet deprived mé of my
reft
abet Mihir te es ti bes be ve
[ 14 J
réft that I had taken fo much pains to fecure
againft the vermin. |
Fuly 8.We croffed the creek and rode along a
rich bottom near the river for two miles, pro-
ducing moft kinds of our foreft trees, and a
large fpecies of Scutelaria two feet high:
thence along the river fide, near a mile N. 20
deg. EK. to the foot of a fertile hill, where
leaving the river, our way N. E. through
feveral narrow valleys and over {mall hills,
generally middling land, yielding oak, hickery,
chefnut, and fome pine, to the fummit of a
high hill, where we faw Shamokin Fill, dit-
tant four miles only; going down we came
to uneven ftony ground producing pitch pine
and oak, as far as the point of Shamokin Fill,
whence we had a pleafant profpect of the fall
of the river, quite crofs without any great
Rocks. The ftream runs very fwift, but
canoes or flat-bottomed boats may go up or
down well enough : the bottom of this def-
cent is wafhed by Shamokin Creek three rods
wide , this we forded to a fruitful bottom half
a mile wide, beyond which, two miles good*
oak land brought us to the town of Shamo-
kin. It contains eight cabbins near the river's
bank right oppofite the mouth of the weft
branch that interlocks with the branches of
Allegheny. At is by means of this neighbour-
hood that we may reafonably hope, .when
thefe parts fhall be better known, that a very
beneficial -
1§
beneficial Trade may be extended through
the Hokio into the Miffiffppi and its branches
among the numerous nations that inhabit their
banks. It were to be wifhed, that the Axz-
glifp government in thefe parts had been more
diligent in fearching and furveying the heads
of their own rivers and the fources of the
others that run weftwards from the backs of
their ref{pective provinces. Yet enough is al-
ready known to juftify the furmifes of Mr.
de la Sale, who in his Journal addreffed to
the Count de Frontenac exprefies his fears, left
the Anglifb, from their fettlements, fhould
poflefs themfelves of the trade on the Miff/-
Jfppi. quartered in a trader’s cabbin, and a-
bout midnight the Jzdzavs came and called up
him and his {quaw, who lay in a feparate part
where the goods were depofited, whether to-
gether or no I did not ask. She fold the
dndians vam, with which being quickly in-
toxicated, men and woman began firft to fing
and then dance round the fire; then the wo-
men would run out to other cabbins and foon
return, leaving the men finging and dancing
the war dance, which continued all the next
day. An Englifhbman when very drunk will
. fall faft afleep for the moft part, but an Jz-
dian, when merry, falls to dancing, running,
and fhouting, which violent action probably
may difperfe the fumes : the liquor, that
had he fat fill or remained quiet, might have
seek | made
sbleindyssgunesssneQuQdsSbiaisns atgugha gichbdy gasp tin dasngens sgsve gsoHeeeseeceReTesUtc TESLA ESDeS RHE
Swe " ,
ee ee ee eae > tay <
oe Ser po ” — a i 5 =
sos Seiessiehecececessotacasizeisseses Saas ygusee et Sie secees aaa, ME ye
ab Ot tee
Ie
etal sogseesteteets
ag
eee St
a Roserery
rairespiiigiesssertaepesassaesees
pape
Seat iaiatviobe aati tasaess
rear ip —epayoper:
sascesetnnanesecee eae
Saat
vets
F a. « > - 4 4 * a
RerEersgustisi soe bsrsasissbisteevald retbsanashal sbHsiee
fr16 |
made him drowfy, and which 1s even carries
off by continued agitation. .
As foon as we alighted they fhewed ts
where to lay our baggage, and then brought
usa bowl of boiled fquafhes cold ; this I then
thought poor entertainment, but before I came
back I had learnt not to defpife good Indian
food... This hofpitality is agreeable to the
honeft fimplicity of antient times, and is: fo
punctually adhered to, that not only what is
already dréffed is immediately fet before a
traveller, but the moft preffing bufinefs is
poftponed to prepare the beft they can get ‘for
him, keeping it as a maxim that he muft ale
ways be hungry, of this we found the good
effects in the flefh and bread they got ready
foyus,
Fnly 9. After breakfaft Lewis Evans and
mytelf went to the point of the mountain clofe
to the N. E. branch, a mile and half up the
fiver from our lodging, and good level rich
land all the way ; we walked thither, carrying
our blankets with us, and flept near three hours.
Here we regulated our journey, and having
taken a plealant view of the range of mountains,
and the charming plane of Shamoki, 2 miles
long and above one broad, skirted on theWeft
and North by the river, and encompafled Eaft,
and partly South, with lofty hills, befides a
fine vale bordering the North Weft branch,
we returned to the Town and dined. In. the
afternoon
ae
* z
ee fe:
afternoon. In the afternoon we borrowed, a
| canoe, and paddled up the Weft branch. It is
near two-thirds as broad as the North Eaft or
main river : I went afhore on the fouth fide
to the point of a hill to look for curiofities,
but. found none; the rock confifted of a dark
a coloured fhelly ftone. Then we diverted our.
: felves with fwimming, the water was chin’
' deep moft of the breadth, and fo clear one.
| might have feen a pin at the bottom, At
night [ hung up my blanket like a hammock,
that I might lie out of the reach of the fleas, | |
troublefome and conftant guefts in an Indian im
hut; but I found my contrivance too cool for
a place open on all fides, tho covered witha we
Kind of granary, efpecially the wind blowing rl
cold from the N. W. , —
10, We departed in the morning with
Shickcalamy and his fon, he being. the chief
4 manin the town, which confifted of Delaware
4 Indians ; he was of the fix nations, or rather oe |
a Frenchman, born at Mont-real, and adopted
f «6 *by the Oneidoes, after being taken prifoner ; :
but his fon, told me he was of the Cayuga nae f
m;., tion, that of his mother, agreeable to the In-
@ dian rule Partus Jequitur ventrem, which is as
- seafonable among them as among cattle, fince
the whole burthen of bringing up falls on her 5
therefore in cafe of feparation the children fall
to her fhare.
NN
~
aes =
*
| ‘ite ean Sb ak Mame ec if
*
a ee ee ee eT
We had many advantages from the company
of thefe guides, were perfectly acquainted
with that part of the country, and _be-
ing of the fix Nations they were both a
credit and protection; and, alfo as we went
to accommodate the differences, and allay the
Heart-burnings that had been raifed by a late
skirmifh on the back of Virginia, between fome
of thefe nations and the Engli/b, we could not
but derive a confidence from the company of a
chief.
We coafted the river near a mile to the ford,
where we hada good bottom not above 3
feet deep ; this brought us to an Hand near
2 miles long and a quarter broad, pretty rich
at the lower end, and near the river, but the
higher end fandy, from the drift left there by
the flocds, it therefore produces little but patch
pine. After leaving the lower end where we faw
Jeveral cabbins, we once more took water for
the oppofite fhore, but the bottom is lefs e-
ven, though not above half as wide as the laft,
which is about 400 yards.
Hence leaving the weft branch about half
a mile on our left, and rich low ground be-
tween with gravel, oak and pitch-pine land
on our right, we reached a pretty {pring of
good water, fituated between the fwamp and
dry ground. This, fince our paflage over the
Blue Mountains, was the only one we met
with tll we came near Onondago, for on that
7 fide
iceman 88S
ae
a aes . 5S ee ea
Pacey ba'4 -
FOR F Pah Sage TE bid tiie bs Li wen iad aaa Tis ¥
»~
| Aono dey |
fide the currents and creeks are chiefly formed
by the water oufing and draining from the
bottoms of the mountains and hills, and are
gradually collected in this manner into riyu-
lets But on the fouth of this great ridge, it
gulhes out between the rocks in ftreams
._ big enough to turn a mill, in other places
‘ rifing and bubbling out of the earth inquan-
tity fufficient to fill a pipe an inch fquare, or —
thereabouts.
Our journey now lay through very rich |
bottoms to a creck 6 miles from Shamokin, a
great extent of fruitful low ground ftill con- — ra
tinuing. Here we found a fine meadow of
grafs on our tight, and rich dry ground on «&
the left. In our path lay a large Rattle- &§
{nake, but he civilly crept into the grafs, and '
let us pals by without danger. Our way from .
| hence lay, through an old Indian field of ex- | ;
cellent foil, where there had been a town, the |
principal footfteps of which are peach-trees,
plumbs and excellent grapes. A great flood
came down this branch, a few years paft, and
drove abundance .of fand over this ground a 4
great depth among the trees. It role 20 feet
perpendicular, wafhing away many yards of
the bank, which was compofed of eravel and
fand, and doubtlefs had been raifed to that 4
__ heighth by former inundations, for the wood ;
... ground 30 rod from the river is feveral feet ee
Pr. : D 2 lower — a)
a
reser enna ache ANT Sd SCE NR ESM, EMU aT PUES Oe le i" ;
Sedona sn MPAs avisseesleibiehe ides ichlens gasp hiatasngtssioge ne Gatbeseeede eee ECASLALGtEeAo isu shiad ible haigtasgiataedtoovenea rasnesbiseg teed ¢Ucete EASA] SUaPONOALIO SRSA?
[ 20 |
lower than the bank ; a little above this devas
ftation we dined. 7
And now leaving the river we held a new
courfe over a fine level, then down a rich
hollow to a rum, where we faw a fummer
duck; and fo down the rum, a little beyond
this turns a path to Wiomick, a town on
the eaft branch, hence N. N. E. ther’ N. after
W. to arich bottom near the river, where
Shickcalamy formerly dwelt, at the upper end
of which refiftlefs torrents had carried abun-
dance of fand into the woods. With this bot-
tom we left the river for the prefent, and kept
a variable courfe through the gap of the
mountain N. and N. W. over middling cham-
pion Jand, producing fome pitch pine, and
laree white and black oak, fome fwamps and
brooks, by one of which we lodged in a
fertile valley, that we reached before night.
ii. About break of day it began to rain,
and the Indians made us a covering of bark
got after this manner: They cut the tree
round through the bark near the root, and
make the like incifion aboye 7 feet above
it ; thefe horizontal ones are joined by a
perpendicular cut, on each fide of which they
after loofen the bark from the wood, and
hewing a pole at the {mall end, gradually ta-
peting like a wedge about 2 feet, they force
it in till they have compleated the fepara-
tion all round, and the bark parts whole
from
[ 21]
from the tree, one of which, a foot dia-
meter, yiclds a piece 7 feet long and aboye
3 wide - And having now prepared four forked
fticks, they are fet into the ground the longer
in front; on thefe they lay the crofs-poles,
and on them the bark. This makes a good
tight fhelter in warm weather. 'The rain was
quickly over, but as it continued cloudy, we
did not care to leave our fhed. Here our Fz-
dians {hot a young deer, that afforded us a
good feaft.
12, We fet forward and travelled up the
Aun, bearing N. W. along a narrow valley,
moderately rich, the hills hung with lofty
timber, the ftones generally flat, then u pa fteep
hill, where I found foffil fteel in many ftones,
the foil middling oak land; and here had 4
view of a Bluf point N. by the river fide ;
then defcending down a fteep hill N. FE. we
came to a rich bottom by theriver ; hence N.
after N. W. to a creek, and fo through a grove
of white walnut and locuft, and exceeding rich
jand, half a mile broad, and now fome higher
level land,affording oak,hickery,walnut, locuf
and pitch pine, our courfe generally N. N. W.
till riding over a hazel plane we met cight
Lau
Shawanefe Indians on horfeback coming from
Ablegheny, and going to Wiemick upon an im-
portant account, as they faid. We turned
back with them to the adjacent wood, and
fate down together under afhady oak; the
¥ ap
fC Ua We
[ 22 |
fquaw which they brought to wait upon,
them kindled a fire to light their pipes ; our
Interpreter and Shrckcalamy fet down with
them to fmoke, the cuftomary civility when
two partics meet ; Conrad Weifar underftand-
ing they were fome of the chiefs of the Shaw-
anéfe, acquainted them with our bufineis at
Onondago, a compliment they were fo well
pleafed with, that they gave us thelohay, a
particular Jvdian expreflion of approbation, and
which is very difficult fora white man to imi-
tate well ; after half an hour’s grave difcourfe
feveral of them went to catch the horfes, and
one of the principal men made a handiome
fpeech, with a pleafant well compofed coun-
tenance, to our interpreter, to the following
effect : ‘ That they were fenfible with what
¢ an unwearied diligence he had hitherto been
inftrumental in preferving peace and good
harmony between the Judians and White
People, and that as they could not but now
commend the’ prudence and zeal with which
he had effected this laudable purpote, jo
they carneftly entreated and fincerely hoped
he would ftill perfevere in the fame endea-
vours and with the fame fuecefs, and that his
good offices may never be wanting on any
future occafion.
The Shawanefe, or Shaounous, as they are
called by the French, are the fame people, the
Six nations :and at New Zork arecalled Satanas ;
they
L 23 J
they dweM upon the Hofo and to the
fouthward of it, between whom and that of the
Cherokees is a river fometimes called by that
name. It was againft this people the fix na-
tions firft turned their Arms with fuccefs,
after they had fled before warlike daron-
dacks, and having thus learn’d to conquer, ven-
tured to attack their hitherto victorious ene-
mies, who could not have fupported this war
without the unexpected affiftance they received
from the French. 3
After taking our leaves, we continued our
journey toa large creek 4 or 5 rod wide which
wathes on each fhore a charming country
of rare foil as far as the river. On the other
fide of this creek we rode through a deferted
‘own in the neck between them; a few miles
more brought us to our dining place, and in
the afternoon we turned our backs on this
branch, and rode N. W.down a valley 20
rods wide, wooded with pitch pine on the
right hand and white on the left, the Rup be-
tween; then N. W. by W. by the fide of a
hill and bottom of white pine, down which
we rode 2 hours, upon better land, the N. W.
middling land, now upa hill N.W. toa point,
a profpect of an opening bearing N. then down
the hill to run, and over a rich neck lying be-
tween it and Z7adaughton bearing N. W. where
we lodged within about 50 yards of a hunting
cabin, where there were 2 Men, a Squaw and a
child,
[ 24 4
child, the men came to our fire and made us 4
prefent of fome venifon, and invited Mr Weifar,
Shickalamy and his fon, to a feaft at their cabin.
Tt is incumbent on thote who. partake of a feaft
of this fort, to eat all that comes to their
fhare or burn it: now /Vei/ar being a traveller
was intitled to a double fhare, but he being
not very well, was forced to take the benefit of a
liberty indulged him, of eating by proxy,
and called me, but both being unable to cope
with it, Lewis came in to our affiftance, not-
withftanding which we were hard fet to get
down the neck and throat, for thefe were
allotted us; and now we had experienced the
utmoft bounds of their indulgence, for Lewizs
ignorant of the ceremony of throwing the
bone to the dog, tho’ hungry Dogs are gene-
raitly nimble, the i/vdiau more nimble, laid
bold of it firft, and committed it to the fire,
yeligioufly covering it over with hot afhes.
1 ‘his feems to be a kind of offering, perhaps
firit fruits to the Almighty power to erave
- future fuccefs in Ge approaching hunting fea-
fon, and was celebrated with as much decency
and more filence, than many fuperftitious ce-
remonics: the bigotry of the popith miffiona-
ries tempt them to compafs fea and land to
teach their weak Profelites what they call the
chriftian religion, To this I may add another
ceremony at bear hunting, as related by a
celebrated author, this diverfion being in the
winter,
L254
winter, when this animal is very fat, the ereafe |
that fWimis on the broth becomes a “perfect: voil,
which the Indians frequently drink untill
they burft . AAs foon as the bear is
killed, the hunter places the {mall end of
his pipe in its mouth, and by blowing in
the bowls, fills the mouth and throat full of
fmoak, then he conjures the departed Spirit
not to ‘refent the injury done his body, nor to
thwart his future fport in hunting, but as he
receives no anfwer to this, in order to know
if his prayers have prevailed, he cuts the liga-
ment under the bear’s tongue, if thefe ligaments
contract and fhrivel up, being caft into the
fire, which is done with great folemnity and
abundance of invocations; then it is efteemed a
certain mark (as it rarely fails) that the manes
are appeafed. It was now time to return to.
our fire where we laid us down to reff.
The 13/4, in the morning, the Indians re-
paid our vifit, and entertained us with a fa-
miliar converfation for half an hour at the fire,
We then fet out up the creek, where I obferved
three noble white pine trees, with many large
green cones hanging on the top and fide branches
over the creek, which was three rods broad and
pretty oy had thefe been ripe I know not
how we thould have got at them, as they
were at fhe extremity of large branches, that
hung over the Water, on which part of the
branch they generally g erow. Soon after we
came
eee ae
orig tare gtes iss. gta
Seer tart Eee
em
—EEE———————EE
Sn
-hzersen
SSSR SS
=
spi sneceteipietecete te:
Sroleastesbrenees
—"
Se
se.
=
S58 Sss55
ue state)
Sete he est She
>
igi ets
ir tT
a : Po z 5 See
getiaeeds SESLILDSTag ges UUU(GsSgE CHRIARGILSUULGIAN SRS] Figndusngevecea be costiteenesese Nessa le BLSSSAUSUSESLnaSbSAtaS 4uGRGTSTISGGSDSS tBOTSRDHaSDOODAASESTHIGUTETEH ESAT HISTO
[ 26 ]
came to a fpacious level of midling land,
oak, and ‘pine, next to a large rich bottom,
and at the upper end io an extenfive grove of
white pine, after this a grafly plain of 20 acres,
then round the end of a hill, and along a val-
ley, andrun N. by W. high timber and good
land on the hill fide N. then W. and laftly, at
half an hour after 8 N. here our Judians fhot 2
young deer. The land and timber good, brown
foil, and the ftones flat and gritty. From
hence going over a hill we faw a gap N. N.W.
and »defcending down a fteep part of the hill
to the head of a ftoney brook and hollow,
we made our way through it, it was full of
ipruce and white pine; at the bottom we
killed a rattle fnake, then croffed the brook
and traverfed a rich bottom N. N. FE. the
upper end pine, {fpruce, oak, laurel, poplar
and chefnut, fome limes, ftoney and brown
foil, feveral times croffed the creek and over
rich bottoms and ftoney hill fides with laurel,
pine, {pruce and fwamps, till towards night.
On the north fide of a deep ftoney yet rich
foul, Ifound roots of Ginfeng; at night we
lodged by a creek, and the two Jvdanus that
feafted with us, who accompanied us to the
Cayuga branch.
The 144), Having forded the creek we
Kept generally a N. N. E. courfe, moftly along
tich bottoms interfperfed with large fpruce
and white pine, oak, beach and plane tree,
ginfeng,
A 37 }
| ginfeng, and many more. We frequently paffed
the creek (which was very ftrong) for the —
mountains often clos’d on one fide; it was bi
enough to turn two mills. At 9 o’clock the
Indians fithed for trout, but caught none, be-
ing provided with no other means of taking
them but by poles fharpened at the end to
Se ae
@ a Bt if
SSS
See
etneehtrerseretaas
Seeaterte
MS Reees heehee
ftrike them, and the water deep: at the foot i |
of a hill we croffed the creek once more, and i f
rode along a fine bottom, full of great wild i.
nettles, The timber was fugar birch, fugar : |
“bib &
maples, oak and poplar, our courfe N.W. :
continued till after 12 clock, then followed
the eaft branch N. N. E. about a mile, alla
tich bottom where we found a Liching Pond,
where we dined, the backs parts of our coun-
try are full of thefe liching ponds, fome are
of black fulphureous mud, fome of pale clay,
the deer and elks are fond of licking this clay,
fo that the pond becomes enlarged to’a rood or
half an acre, the foil, I fuppofe contains fome
faline particles agreeable to the deer, who
come many miles to one of thefe places, there
had been a great elk there that morning, but
the Judians told us that many years ago fome
Indians quarrelled there, in the {fquable one
loft his life, and that this made the deer keep
from thence for many years.
Now traveling up the run eaft, we left it on
the right hand, to go up a hill covered with
fpruce, oak {pruce, lawrel, opulus, yew, with
2 ginfeng
SESE RS
RRR
ese
elects,
eats a tre
asia Sorte ta
geist
dosezsrte:
Sars
s qe
“einai CENT LEST A NOT nT - Risch ¥ eae
bifsbsiedsdssenecvctstepitasisirinseneletgiena. lag ictiad guedtivedstngiatl apy orisrasesmsesteneneia lo psessgtusgeesunssd sagas siepalenecgssged tsveesd ibd sobleees
[ 28 |
ginfeng and ataliafhum in abundance, ther
kept generally an eaft courfe, having feveral
hollows .and fteep afcents and over many
bogey rotten places, fome laurel and very
high timber, then down the fide of a hill to
ari old beaver dam, over which we patfied,
and then. over a large level of very good
ground, tall timber and abundance of leather-
bark or thymelea, which is plentiful in all this
part of the country. Our lodging was in this
ee cious flat.
The t5th, We fet out aN. E. courfe; and
pafk fed by very thick and tall timber of beach,
chefnut, linden ath, ott magnolia, fuear-
birch , fagar-maple, poplar, fpruce and fome
Ww hite pine, with ginfeng and maidenhair 5
the foil black on the furface, and brown un-
derneath, the ftones a brown rit, the way very
uneven over fallen trees, a abundance of hollows,
and heaps of earth, turned upby the roots
of proftrate timber : hence it is that the fur-
face is principally compofed of rotten trees,
roots, and mofs, perpetually fhaded, and for
the moft part wet, what falls is conftantly
rotting and rendring the earth loofe and {pungy;
this tempts abundance of yellow wafps to
breed in it, which were very ‘troublefome
to us throughout our journey, on the branches
of Sufquebanab our courfe this day was gene-
rally eaft, and we got through this difmal
wildernef$ about two hours before funfet, and
came
[ 49 ]
came to oak and hickery land, then down 4
fteep hill producing white pine to a creek called
Conuvia a branch of Towimtobow, where we
lodged in a bottom producing ginfeng, farea-
parilla mediola, maidenhair, darallia, panax,
mitela, chriftephoriana, with white, red and
blue berries; we had a fine warm night, and
one of the Jnvdians that had fo generoufly
feafted us, fung in a folemn harmonious man-
ner, for feven or eight minutes, very different
from the common Jvdian tune, from whence
I conjectured it tobe a hymn to the great
fpirit as they exprefs it. In the morning }
asked the Interpreter what the [vdianw meant
by it, but he did not hear him, and indeed I
believe none of the company heard him but
myfelf, who wake with a little noife, rarely
fleeping found abroad.
The 1644, We began our journey upa little
hill, fteep and fomewhat ftoney, and then
through oak, chefnut, huckleberries, and
honeyfuckles, the land poor, fometimes white
pine, fpruce and lawrel; thus far N. but at
half an our after Seven N. E. through a great
white pine, fpruce iwamp full of roots, and
abundance of old trees lying on the ground,
or leaning againft live ones, they ftood fo
thick that we concluded it almoft impoffible
to fhoot a man at 100 yards diftant, let him
ftand never fo fair. The ftraight bodies of
thefe trees fiood fo thick, a bullet muft hit
Id Ay roo yards, in the moft
open
as
* e
AME Vek eat oF + atin
O e t ATP hi CO t
WLC DCIOLO “he
> eed
open part. At half an hour after nine, we rode
down a fmall hill, and crofled a {mall run;
then climb’d a fteep hill of oak land, and by
ten to a large creek called Uskobo, then round
the point of a hill, midling land, and up
the fide thereof which was good, and
down the other fide very fteep toa Rug,
with good corn land to the top of a hill in
fight of the eaft branch of Sufguebanah, to far
we had pale clay land from the wildernefs,
though blackifh on the furface, for 2, 3 or 4
inches, then down half a mile on a moderate
defcent, good oak and hickery land to a large
rich grafly and weedy bottom, 40 rood wide,
producing elm; birch, linden, lotus, white-
walnut, and very large white pine, where the
land is a little higher than common; at the
upper end of this bottom we dined at half an
hour after '12, we fet out again at 3, courfe N.
along a fteep hill fide, full of excellent flat
whet-ftones of all fizes, from halfa foot, to 4
fect long, and from 2 inches to a foot wide,
and from half an inch to a foot thick ; I brought
one home which I have ufed to whet my ax,
{cythe, chizzels and knife, and is yet very little
the worfe for wear, it is as fine as the Eugl/b
rag, but of a blackifh colour; this lafted two
miles clofe to the river which is here 100 yards
wide, and deep enough for flat-bottomed boats,
then we came to avery rich low land, moft of
the way N. N. E. to the Cayaga branch, near
1¢0 yards wide which we croffed, then rode
near
CTE aca tease a
3i
tt
-g 4
t
. ‘His
; He
ref 1
il As
} th?!
‘i iis
¥f
a
w. | ye
a Tae
rt fi
i
1 i
, ?
¢
vi hh
h
i i
Mel) iF
eo { y
Ag f
ie na
aa 4
¥ 4
i
‘ /
: i
x!
¥
tf
$
A
{3r]
near a mile to the town-houfe, bearing N. this
town is called 7ohicon, and lies in a rich neck
~ between the branch and main river: the Judians
welcomed us by beating their drum, as foon as
they faw us over the branch, and continued
cerns
rons
meas
FS eer eset:
pests
beating after the Englifh manner as we rode to t |
the houte, and while we unfaddled our Hortes, i .
Jaid in our luggage and entered our felves: the &-
Houfe is about 30 foot long, and the fineft e
of any I faw among them. The Indians cut &§
long grafs and laid it on the floor for us to fit
or lie on; feveral of them came and fat down &
and fmoaked their pipes, one of which was 4 .
fix foot long, the head of ftone, the ftem a &§
‘reed , after this they brought viduals in the yo
wfual manner: here I obferved for the firft !
“time in this journey, that the worms which —
had done much mifchiefin feveral parts of our
Pisvince. by deftroying the grafs and even
corn for two fummers, had done the fame thing
here, and had eat off the blade of their maize
and lone white grafs, fo that the ftems of both a
ftood naked 4 foot high; I faw fome of the "4
naked dark coloured ‘grubs half an inch long,
tho’ moft of them were gone, yet I could
perceive hey were the fame that had vifited
us two months before; they clear all the grafs
in their way, in any ’ meadow they get into,
and feem to be periodical as the locufts and
caterpillar, the latter of which I am afraid ee
will do us a great deal of mifchief next fum- Ub
mer. Here one of our hofts at the hunting — i
cabin
Pacer
Saas =o — Oe — 90 OO 8 ee
Seanatiosnes
Stbaijsstaseessweates
Sete
ese es
Seestesett sts
SiiSES
=
TSS
pebityaseysestesrrey:
pis Setate eae
ce Na ace EL a TR a
es P
SRLS REE BSB oa AE USES TOHR ge RACE REY Bape agreed oe gtbpesuoe ns ose ofovgsQngsgtd taPuoN sagas HINRe etargSUTUSDEDTEEAAEdDES biseS HUB ROAERRSEUMDAT HIDEO
9
ae
eabin left us to go up this branch to his ow®
country, that of theCayagas, this night it rained
a little, and the morning was very fogey.
17th. Day, we crofled the neck to the eaft
branch of Su{quebanab, up which we travelled
along a richbottom of high grafs and woods of
a fine creek, then over oak and pitch pine land
toa fwampy run and fine meadow ground,
then eaft through white and pitch pine, oak,
hickery and hazel bottom, and fo N. E. to
the river, where grew.a white pine clole to the
water, with four green cones on, ftill we kept
N, E. at 10 bore S, Here the river turned
thus, occafioned by fome high barren moun-
tains on the other fide,- whofe fides came cloig
to it, and turned the ftream in this crooked
manner. We travelled through a fine vale of
pine land.. Here was a place where the Indi-
aus had been a pawawiig. ‘They cuta parcel
of poles, which they ftick in the ground in
a circle, about the bignefs of hop poles, the cicrle
about five foot diameter, and then bring them
together at the top, and tie them in form of
an * oven, where the conjurer placeth himfelf;
then his affiftants cover the cage over clofe
with blankets and to make it ftill more
fuffocating, hot ftones are rolled in; after
all this the prieft muft cry aloud, and agitate
his
* Vide Capt. Bewerley’s hitt. of Virginia, 8vo. a curious and
ufeful work, andthe Baron Lahontan’s entertaining voyages
in thefe parts.
[ig ele 3
ius body after the moft violent manner, till
nature has almoft loft all her faculties before
the ftubborn fpirit will become yifible to him;
Which they fay is generally in the fhape of
fome bird. There is ufually a ftake drove into
the ground about four foot high and painted.
{ fuppofe this they defien for the winged airy
&eimg to perch upon, while he reveals to the
invocant what he has taken fo much pains to
Know. However, I find different nations
have different ways of obtaining the pretended
information. Some have a bowl of water,
into which they often look, when their
- ftrength is almoft exhaufted, and their fenfes
€
_thefe places in my travels.
failing, to fee whether the {pirit is ready to
andwer their demands. J have feen many of
They differ from
their {weating coops, in that they are often
far from water, and have a ftake by the cage,
yet both have a heap of red hot ftones put in.
at 11 we drefled our dinner, and found an
Indiau hy the river fide, refting himfelf; all
his provifion was a dried eel ; this he made us
a prefent of, and we gave him a fhare of our
dinner. Their way of roafting eels is thus ;
they cut a ftick about three foot long, and as
thick as one’s thumb, they {plit fit about a
foot down, and when the eel is gutted, they
coil it between the two fides of the ftick,
-and bind the top clofe, which Keeps the eel
‘fat, and then ftick one end in the ground be=
fore a good fire.
F | At
ATER Eo eRLMRGRT ERE UE HE ene eae
Rte take Ba SSS
Set i Fs ee ee
See es wai A
- i nt i i
Saya onatae ee ene CPE error cna aR CTE aaa ESE ny ata
SOME ct ee
. << en
Phateiatete on sore sits es tee te sates gece ape a sees
Sa Sry
Sey
=
Tp se
: onan aet aS Eee
=
—ee
2
to els =o
eopartees tr etat set tere
panes
SIMS.
aria eSee
————
iS RES
—
ar}
ssazte
>
SS
SeSrrez
—
————
sae
Let sSe!
e
; ae
-
= Sorssisse
pie tetstei-.
<<a
[ 34 J
At half an hour after one we fet out, mid-
dling oak land but ftony, yet no great rocks ;
ato N. E. then N. good land, a rich bottom
and flat ftones on rifing ground; we crofled
the Owagan branch about thirty yards wide.
Then half-a mile to the town fo called, where
we lodged, there is very good land in this
neck between the branch and main river. A
little before fun-fet I walked out of town to
regulate my journal ; but the gnats were fo
troublefome 1 could not reft a minute. They
bit my hands fo cruelly 1 was forced to give
over my purpofe. ‘Thete are fo troublefome
from fun-rifing to fun-fetting that we could
not reft while we were eating our victuals
without making feveral fires of wet leaves
round us to keep them off.
18. This morning we fent an Indian with
a ftring of Wampum to Oxondago, to acquaint
them with our coming, and the bufineis we
came about, that they might fend meffengers
+o the feveral nations to haften their deputies
to meet them as foon as poflible, for this
town ferves the five nations as Baden does the
thirteen cantons of Switzerland, with this
difference, that Ovondago is at the fame time the
capital of a canton.
“We fer out at half an hour after 9, and
travelled till 6; this day our general courfe
was N. and N. W. having fine level rich land
moft of the way, and tall timber oak, birch,
beech
aie
beech, afh, {pruce, linden, elm and herb
Hierophilon, hepatica and maidenhair in abun-
dance. We lodged: by Front Creek in a Mpa-
tious vale, and it looking like rain, we made
us a cabbin of tpruce bark, bat no rain
came.
19. We trode over good level land : after
we came to very fivampy bottoms, thickets
and hills of fpruce, and white pine; here
were three ridges of fteep hills that run nearly
Band W. and with difficulty we rode over
their fecp cliffs, which projected clote to the
creek. We were feyeral times. obliged to
ford it backwards and forwards. Several runs
come into the creek on both fides from be-
rween the mountains, Now we came to moft
excellent -level eround, than which nothing
can be more fruitful, full of tall timber, fugar,
maple, birch, linden, afh, and beech, and
fhrubs, as opulus, green maple, hornbeam,
hama m elis, folanum, eoofterries and red cur~
rans triphilum in abundance. Here we dined
by a pleatant creek and choice land. After
dinner we foon began to mount up a pretty
fteep hill, covered with oak, birch, afh, and
higher up abundance of cheinut and iome
hickery. ‘This ig middling land, the produce
the fame for three miles as our land bears
with us. It lies very high, and when cleared
will Have an extenfive profpect of fertile
wales on all fides. We then rode down a long
ie: rich
oo
rich hill of moderate defcent, where grew abune
dance of goofeberries ; all the trees were
crouded with wild pigeons, which, 1 fuppofe,
breed in thefe lofty fhady trees. I found ma-
ny foffils on this hill.
Another fertile valley weleomed us at the
bottom, over” which travelling a mile we
lodged at a Run, which our Indians told us
emptied into the lake Ontario ; if fo, it muf
run into the Cayuga river, and fo to Ofwego.
20. Wecontinued our Journey in this plea-
fant vale until we afcended a hill, beyond
Which a flant brought us to two ponds that
run into a branch of Sufquebanah; crofling
this we joined’ a part from the Carugas coun~
try, then over arich level to another branch
big enough to turn a mill where we croffed it.
Tt was now three-quarters after ro, then
good land to half an hour after 12 yet no
hickery nor oak, but elm, fugar, maple,
beech, birch, white walnuts; hop, hornbeam,
and abundance of ginfeng. After dinner we
pafled a branch of the great Sufquebanab,
down which lake canoes may go quite to where
the river is navigable for boats. On the
banks I found the gae like the European.
This is the neareft branch of Sui[quehanab
river to that of Onondago. Leaving this on
our right, on our left we perceived a hill,
where the Judians fay Indian corn, tobacco
and {quafhes were found on the following oc-
cafion :
cs lee i
align: An Indian (whofe wife had shops
came hither to hunt, and.with his skins to
purchafe another here, he efpied a young”
fquaw alone at the hill ; ; going to her, and
‘enquiring where fhe came from, he received’
for aniwer, that fhe came from heaven to
provide fuftenance for the poor Indians, and
if he came to that place twelve months
after he fhould find food there. He came
accordingly and found corn, fquafhes and to-
bacco, which were propagated from thence
and fpread through the country, and this filly
ftory is religioufly held for truth among them.
Our way hence, lay over fine rich level land
as before, but when we left it, we enter’d a
miferable thicket of {pruce,. opulas, and dwarf
yew, then over a branch of Sufquebanab, big
enough to turn a mill, came to ground as
good as that on the othe sr fide the thicket’;
well cloathed with tall timber of fugar birch,
{ugar maple, and elm. In the afternoon it
thunder’d hard pretty near us, but rained little
We obferved the tops of the trees to be fo clote
to one another for many miles together, that
there is no feeing: which way the clouds drive,
nor which way the wind fets: and it feems
almoft as if the fun had never fhone on the
ground, fince the creation, About fun fet
it cleared P ind we, Rae on the laft
branch of S' a(gucbanah, the night following it
thundred and rained yery faft, and took us
at
5 sustnara ramat Me ot ential ttt mT i
4d gaits
= z apureetye shtbbads
a nite ra ape ss rr pe pans Beet see
’
ata eee en
where ner tses es spesaees
Sept Sey ee
iat eteens
era er
See
abstas
Sear
tiscceseoed
[ 38 J :
at a difadvantage, for we had made no fheltet
to keep off the rain, neither could we fee it
till juft over our heads, and it began to fall.
One of our Indians cut 4 fticks 5 feet long,
and ftuck both ends into the eround, at 2 foot
diftance, one from another, over thefe he fpread
his match coat and crept through them, and
then fell to finging: in the mean time we were
fetting poles lantwife in the ground, tying
others crofs them, over which we {pread our
blanket and crept clofe under it with a fire
before us and fell faft afleep.
Lwaked a little after midnight, and found
our fire almoft out, fo 1 got the hatchet and
felled a few Saplings which [ laid on, and made
a roufing fire, tho’ it rained froutly, and laying
down once more, I flept fourid all night.
21/t, In the morning when we had dry’d our
blankets, we kept along the fide of a hill,
oradually afcending, the foil good, timber
tall, and abundance of ginfeng ; here the mul-
quetoes were very troublelome, it being foggy,
thence proceeding down a long gradual deicent
on good rich foil with tall timber, fugar, ma-
ple, cheinut, cherry, linden and elm, we tra-
verted a large valley and rivulet, then rode up
a little fieep hill where we ftopped. at half an
hour after eleven, this hill was a little fandy,
with fome large pines erowing upon it; here
we walked and looked about us, having not
had fuch an opportunity for two days, during
whicn
Se
SE ee
mi SOE
DO EE OE I
————
TS TET
L aoe).
which time we had a fine profpect over the
vale of the great mountain we had juft crofled,
and which differed fo remarkably from all i
had ever been upon before, in its eafy and fruit-
fal afcent and defcent, in its great width,
every where crowned with noble and lofty
woods, but above all, in its being intirely free.
from naked rocks and fteep precipices.
From thefe remarks, one might be naturally
led to imagine, that the Waters at the flood
eradually ebbed and retired on each fide, to-
wards the river St. Lawrence and Su/quebanah,
the very next ridges on either fide being nar-
rower, fiecper, and fome rocks wafhed bare,
and io all the adjacent ridges the farther they
are from this, appear to be more wafhed, more
com pofed of great banks of craggy rocks and
tremendous precipices, the foil more carried off,
mighty rocks tumbled down, and thofe leftap-
pearing as if piled upin a pyramid and hereby
preferved from a fhare in the awful ruin below
among their fellows; the foil being fo per-
feétly wathed from their root, as evidently no
longer to fupport them. ‘After having enjoyed
this enchanting pro{pect and entertaining hy po-
thefis, we deicended eafily for feyeral miles,
over good land produeing fugar-maples, many
of which the fuazans had tapped to make
fugar of the fap, alfo oaks, hickery, white
walnuts, plums and fome apple trees, full of
a at Hit the Jndians had fet long bufhes all round
the
; ih
if
& tie
% a
ie
bets e
.
ii
i te
bit y
| aBe
RE -
et
a
z Hilt
*; | ri
¥ “4 ie
Bh
Be
sn jeTbbeTe LTH :
Fin eine
art Pat et
is ie
|) &
5 it f
err. it
: } “ tit
Ay is
an Ei
| &
iG ae
3] as rele ‘
NE 4
re | ith ie
i
a
i:
i
&
77) a!
a ae
4 iy
md ad
rors
ooo
Se — ee i ne ee 2 =e ee
Pe HnasHabog soa saa Ra seh Rua Mogae eng ang ag GEIST PRed Nionds si gobo a goa i RBRETESSURE ALTOS SEAT ws aaRGTati Said sastaaspeaa sisaaibisee obURoeeS easTeTS ETEOREH
| 4° J
the trees at a little diftance, I fuppofe to keep
the {mall children from ftealing the fruit before
they were ripe: here we halted and turned our:
horfes to grafs, while the inhabitants cleared a
cabin for our reception; they brought us
viduals, and we difpatched a meffenger im-
mediately to Oondago to let them know
how near we were, it being within 4 miles.
All the Ivdians, men, women and children
came to gaze at us and our horfes, the little
poys and girls climbed on the roofs of their
cabins, about ten in number to enjoy a fuller
“view, we fet out about ten, and travelled over
good landall the way, moftly an eaty defcent,
‘fome lime-ftone, then down the eaft hill, over
ridges of lime-ftone rock, but generally a mo-
derate defcent into the fine vale where this
capital Cif I may {0 call it) is fituated.
We alighted at the council houfe, where
the chiefs were already afflembled to re-
ceive us, which they did with a grave chear-
fal complaifance, according to their cuftom ;
they fhew’d us where to lay our baggage, and
repole ourfelves during our flay with them ;
which was in the two end apartments of this
large houfe. The /udians that came with us,
were placed over againft us: this cabin is about
8o feet long, and 17 broad, the common
. paflage 6 feet wide; and the apartments on
each fide 5 feet, raifed a foot above the paflage
by a long fapling hewed iquare, and et
wit
L 41 |
with joifts that go from it to the back of the
houte ; on thete joifts they lay large pieces of
bark, and on extraordinary occafions fp
matts made of ruthes, this favour we had;
thele floors they fet or lye down every one as
he will, the apartments are divided from each
other by boards or bark, 6 or 7 foot long,
from the lower floor to the upper, on which
they put their lumber, when they have eaten
their homony, as they fet in cach apartment
before the fite, they can put the bowel over
head, having not above 5 foot to reach; they
fet onthe floor fometimes at each end, but
moftly atone: they have a fhed to put their
wood into in the winter, or in the fummer,
to fet to converfé or play, that has a door
to the fouth; all the fides and roof of the cabin
is made of bark, bound faft to poles fet in the
ground, and bent round on the top, or fet
aflatt, for the roof as we fet our rafters ; over
each fire place they leave a hole to let out the
{moak, which in rainy weather, they cover
with a piece of bark, and this they can eafily
reach with a pole to pufh it on one fide or
quite over the hole, after this model are moft
of their cabins built, figure annexed.
The fine vale of Onondago rans north and
fouth, a little inclining to the weft, and is
pa
/
WX.
near a mile wide, where the town is fituated
and excellent foil, the river that divides this
charming vale, is 2, 3 or 4 foot deep, very
on Vig!s
G ul
fpeceece
L 42 |
full of trees fallen acrofs, or drove on heaps
by the torrents. ‘The town in its prefent ftate
is about 2 or 3 miles long, yet the fcattered
cabins on both fides the water, are not above
4oin number, many of them hold 2 families,
but all ftand fingle, and rarely above 4 or 5
near one another; fo that the whole town is a
ftrange mixture of cabins, interfperfed with great
patches of high grafs, bufhes and fhrubs, fome
of peafe, corn and fquafhes, lime-ftone bottom
compofed of foffils and fea fhells.
Tt feems however, to have been more con-
fiderable when it became a conqueft to the
arms of Lew7s 14th, at which time it muft
have been more compact, for hiftory relates
it to have been ftockadoed. The Count de
Frontenac governor of Canada, at the head
of the moft numerous army the french ever
drew together in N. America, had the fatis-
faction in 1696 of triumphing over the afhes of
Onondago, whofe inhabitants terrifed with
what they had heard of bombs, and generally
unwilling to hazard a fet battle, had already
abandoned their houfes after fetting them afire.
whatever glory the grand monarque might
reap from this exploit, it is certain he gain-
ed no other advantage, as a longer ftay
muft have inevitably ftarved the army, fo its
precipitate retreat helped our /udiams to an
opportunity of taking their revenge by cutting
of
was nie NEES
rage]
: of every ftragling canoe, in their return by
| water to Monreal.
Atnight, foon after we were laid down to
a “flee, and our fire almoft burnt out, we were
entertained by a comical fellow, difguifed in
| as odd a drefs as Indian folly could invent ; |
| __ he had on a clumfy vizard of wood colour’d Pr |
black, with a nofe 4 or 5 inches long, a grining
mouth fet awry, furnifhed with long teeth, |
round the eyes circles of bright brafs, far- t
rounded by a larger circle of white paint,
from his forehead hung long trefles of buffaloes
hair, and from the catch part of his head ropes {
made of the plated husks of Indian corn; I |
cannot recolle@ the whole of his drefs, but
that it was equally uncouth: he carried in one
hand a large ftaff, in the other a calabafh with
finall ftones in it, for a rattle, and this he
rubbed up and down his ftaff : he would
fometimes hold up his head and make a hide-
- ous noifé like the braying of an afs ; ‘he came a
in at the further end, and made this noife at 4
firft, whether it was becaufe he would not aE
furprife us too fuddenly I can’t fay : I ask’d |
Conrad Wefer, who as well as myfelf lay |
next the alley, what noife that was? and Shic-
kalamy the indian chief, our companion, who a
I fuppofed, thought me fomewhat {cared, |
called out, lye ftill Yobw, I never heard him
{peak fo much plain Euglifh before. The jack- ‘
pudding prefently came up to us, and an Ee 7
“4 oy :
ee
aE CERT Le et
o> ee
eee iid
Oe ae ne
VGsseEelads ang LLES MASE ESE HMESAdISeIFIEaT FE LA IEESES TORE NET srateitdeasreneieta tetethee
[ 44 ]
boy came with him and kindled our fire, that
we might fee his glittering eyes and antick
pottures as he hobbled round the fire, fometimes
he would turn the Buffaloes hair on one fide
that we might take the better view of his jll-
f Pics phyz, when he had tired himfelf
which was fometime after he had well ied us,
the boy that attended him ftruck 2 or 4 {mart
blows on the floor, at which the hobestite
feemed furprifed and on repeating them he
jumped fairly out of doors and difappeared.
i fupp pofe this was to divert us and get fome
tobacco for himiele for as he danced about
he would hold out his hand to any he came
by to receive this gratification which as often
as any one gave him he would return an awk-
ard compliment. By this | found it no new
dean to ay but my felf. In my whim
I faw avizard of this kind hang by the fide
of one of their cabins to anoune ler eas Af-
ter this farce we endeavoured to compofe our-
ie to fleep but towards morning was again
ifturbed by a drunken Sguaw coming into
che cabin frequently complimenting us and
finging.
aad. was a fhowery day, and we ftirred
little out.
22. we ited a guide to go with us to the
falt ipring, 4 or 5 miles off, down the river,
on the weft fide of it’s mouth; being moft of
the way good land, and near r the i routh very
rich:
[45]
rich: from whence it runs weftward near a
quarter of a mile, a kind ofa fandy beach ad-
joining to the bank of the river, containing 3
or 4 acres. Here the Ludians dig holes, about
2 foot deep, which {oon filling with brine, they
dip their kettles, and boil the contents, until
_ the falt remains at bottom; there wasa fami-
ly reliding at this time. The boys in the
lake fithing, the Squaw fetching water, gather-
ing wood, and making a fire under the kettle,
while the husband was basking himfelf on the
fand, under the bufhes. We filled our gallon
Keg full of water and brought it to Towng
where we boiled it to about a pound of falt.
Our guides took their arrows, made of reed and
down to fhoot {mall birds. About half way
there is an excellent {pring of water, and by it
a grove of Curboroit@ joining to a green fwamp,
producing very high grafs. About a mile up
the river from the lake, it runs by a fteep bank
at the end of a high hill. The bank was fandy,
and out of it run’d a brackifh wwater, which
inclines me to think that there is a body of
foffil falt here abouts, by which the plain is
furnifhed with its intenfe falt brine, and that
it 1s the vapour thereof that congealj to the
traih and buthes that lye on the bank, and
glitters lke flakes of Ice, or Snow, in a Sun-
thiny day, This day 2 deputies arriyed from
the Cay#eas Country.
24th,
[ 46}
24th. Lewis and \ hired a guide to go with
us to Ofwego for 165, our intention was more
to get provifions for our journey home, than
to gratify our curiofity. In the mean time,
Conrad Ttayed at Onondago, to treat with the
Lndian chiefs about the skirmith in Virginia ;
with a view to incline them fingly in fayour of —
our application, before they affembled in coun-
cil: and here IE cannot help obferving, it was
fearcely ever known, that an Indian Chief ox
Counceiior, once gained fo far as to promife
him intereft, did break his promife, whatever
prefents have been offered him from another
uarter.
We travelled on foot to the Oxendage lake,
whence we had fetched the falt water the day
before, there we procured a bark canoe at half
an hour after eleven, then paddled down -
the lake, and reached the lower end in two
hours courfe, N. W. This lake the French
call Ganentaba; hence we went down the
river a mile N. big enough to carry a large
boat, if the trees fallen into it where but car-
ried away, this brought us to the river from
the Cayuga country, near 100 yards wide, very
fill, and fo deep we could fee no bottom, the
land on both fides very rich and low to with-
in a mile of the Ouezao river , where the river
began to run fwift, “and the bottom became
vittble, tho’ ata good depth. At three o’clock
we came to the laft mention’d river, down
which the .4¢fny trader come to Ofcuega, half
“7%
a mile
ied #
Lael.
a mile farther we came to.a rippling, which
carried us with prodigious {wiftnefs down the
ftream, foon after we encountered a fecond,
and a mile farther a third, very rough, In
about an hour by the fan, after many other
ripplings, we found our felyes at the great fall,
the whole breadth of the river which is above
100 yards wide and is eight or ten feet per-
pendicular: here we hawled our canoe athore,
took out all our baggage, and carried it on our
back a mile to a little town, of about four or
five cabins; they chiefly fubfitt by catching
fith and aflifting the Aleany people to hawl
their Bateans, and carry their goods round the
falls ; which may be about ten or twelve poles,
then they launch again into the river, and
down the foaming {tream that furioufly on all
fides dafhes one half againit the rocks, near a
mile before they come to ftill water, and if-
deed, it runs pretty fwift all the way to G/-
weed. Thefe {ndians were very kind to us,
and gave us boiled corn and water melons,
while they and our guide who was a relation
fat over againft us in the fame cabin, chewing
raw ludian corn ftalks, {pitting out the fab-
ftance after they fucked out the ; juice. But
we could not yet underftand whether we were
to go to the fort by land, or by water. In
the morning they had catched fome ftout eels,
and a ereat fith two feet long, it was round
and thick, they ftrike them with long flender
fhafts
Se
. yi eee
ee ee eee a TTI EM Gees HPT ETAT
sssscraics aural iAl Lig
ani egitioe
ee -
ve =
fare.
Spe aa
ee
bee
Leet
Sry Pee ete aI
:
Seat: ea tntgtaseetos ear
fered oRerere lees:
ee ee
—
Brat tshitetetstetetere
Sassiase: aes
rir teseeecatess
abe siestce ee,
ETS SS I Ee
peeser esa om
weg Speen a sesoe
iecsssated tr
ee
3323
aie
[ 48 |
fhafts 18 or 20 feet long, pointed at the end
with iron fee the fhape. The 2 fplints of wood
{preading each fide, directs the point into the
fifth, which at a great depth it would be other-
wife difficult to hit. I faw upon one of their
canoes in the morning a large piece of bark
fpread a-crofs. On this lay gravel and dand, |
and on thefe coals and afhes, which I fuppoted
had been a fire, and the gravel placed there
to fave the bark. And I took it to be a de-
fign both to allure and fee to ftrike the fiih.
25th. Our guide, and feveral other Judians,
lead us to the canoes belonging to the town,
into one of which we got full of hopes of go-
ing by water, but were much chagrin’d to find
ourfelves only paddled crofs the water, where
we unwillingly took out our cloaths, victuals
and blankets, and carried them’ on our backs
following our guides, who were now increafed
to three. We had 12 miles down the river by
land, moft of the way middling land, fome
white pine and fpruce groves to pais through,
but moft of the way in fight of the river,
which is very rapid moft of the way to the
lake. On the point formed by the entrance
of the river, ftands the fort or trading caftle,
it is a ftrong ftone houfe, incompafied with a
ftone wall near 20 feet high, and 120 paces
round, built of large fquared ftones;.very cu-
rious for their foftnefs, I cut my name in it
with my knife. The town confifts of about
70 log-
ares tlslssseravbh yesh tie
f ,
70 loghoufes, of which one half are in a row
near the river, the other halfoppofite to them,
on the other fide of a fair were two ftreets di-
vided by a row of pofts in the midft. Where
each Indian has his houfe to lay his goods, and
where any of the traders may traffick with him.
This is furely an excelleat regulation for pre
venting the traders from impofing on the Ju-
cans, a practife they have been formerly too
much guilty of, and which has frequently in-
volved the Engli i/o colonies in difficulties, and
conftantly tended to depreciate us in the efteem
of the natives; Who can fcarcely be blamed
for judging of a nation, by the behayiourof thofe
with whom they have the moft intercourfe.
a judgment I am forry to confefs that has (till
Jately ) tended much to the making them in
favour rather of the French, than Englifh. I
{peak of private perfons, not of the refpective
government. The chief officer in command
at the caftle, keeps a good look out to fee ete
when the Indians come down the lake with
their poultry and furrs, and fends acanoe to
meet them, which conducts them to the caftle,
to prevent any perfon inticing them to put a-
fhore eiahttae s treating them with {pirituous
liquors, and then taking that opportunity of
cheating them. This officer feems very care-
fall, that all quarreling, and even the leaft mit-
underftanding, when any happens, be quickly
iis up in an amicable manner, fince a {fpeedy |
Oe ea H accoim= ‘|
—e2,'
Serer
pha eaptess,
srs WITT:
ae tibateessorss
Sereseecescsie
Sper siete
piatecsienrs.
ros.
To
ese:
Searels
Steet eer
= sats:
—
mrsaeer reser
Sate
TRS
ae
eepereseay
Siacsee
;
ms aa I SR RACERS Ka Sa DIL ORCUTT ETE AT TET
[se]
accomodation can only prevent our country
men from incuring the imputation of injuftice,
atid the delay of it would produce the difagree-
able confequences of an Judians endeavouring
to right himfelf by force.
Ofwego, is an infant fettlernerit made by the
province of New-Tork, with the noble view —
of gaining to the crown of Great Britaim the
command of the 5 lakes; and the dependence
of the Izdians in their neighbourhood; and to
its fubjects the benefit of the trade upon them,
and of the rivers that empty themfelves into
them. At prefent the whole navigation is carried
on by the Indians themfelves in bark canoes,
and there are perhaps many reafons for defiring —
it fhould continue fo for fome years at leaft;
but a good englifhman cannot be without
hopes of feeing thele great lakes become one
day accuftomed to Englifo navigation. It 1s
true, the famous fall of Nvagara, .is an infur-
mountable bar to all paflage by water, from
the lake Ontario, into the lake Arie, in fuch
veffels as are proper for the fecure navigation
of either; but befides, that bark canoes are
carried on mens fhoulders with eafe, from one
to the other, as far as the paflage is impracti-
cable: It will be much more eafy to carry the
goods in waggons, from the upper’ lake,
into the Hurou or Quatoghie lake, the ftrait
is rendered unnavigable by the Saute St. Marie,
but a veffel of confiderable burthen may fail
from
4
ata
from the hither end of the Arig lake, to the
bottom of the lake Michigan, and for ought
we know, through all parts of the 3 middle
lakes. Thefe lakes receive the waters of many
rivers, that in fome places approach fo near the
branches of the vaft nver Mi/i/fippi, that a
fhort land carriage fupplies the communication.
And here to ufe the words of a moft judicious
writer, “* He that reflects on the natural ftate
“of that continent muft open to himfelf a
€ a field for traffick in the fouthern parts of WV.
‘ America, and by the means of this river
“and the lakes, the imagination takes into.
- Sossew fach a (one of inland navigation, as”
“ cannot be paralleled in any other part of
*¢ the world.
The honour of firft difcovering thefe ex~
tenfive frefh water feas, is certainly due to the
French, who are at this time in poffeffion of
fettlements at Fort ‘Pouchartrian, on the ftrait
between Lake Erie and the Lake Huron and
at Mifilimabinac between the latter and the
upper lake, but as thefe can give them no ti-
tle againft the original inhabitants or the five
nations , Conquerors of all the adjacent na-
tions, fo it is difficult to conceive by what ar-
guments thefe {mall pofts, inhabited by no fub-
jects of France but foldiers, can be extended to
mark any poffeffion beyond the reach of
_ their gun ’s, or land actually cultivated, ex-
e-pt by fuch as muft intitle the crown of Great
Hi 2 Lyritaim
== a Ae RE EAL BES 3 3 4 7 ,
SmaHeegaesdeUered sds ]sgSa heer cesgsPUSgulossne EAGT RG Sed GRIER USESUTGeLadTgaie ag: 04 ftvesespsLeseaSs SET PLTeSAtaeded Sarisisanddisiena Steeda tye
Sopebsteisi ibid Sestuscea MHASH PTE
ais jolslbiaraseelte shiney P
——
y -
eee apeea sees eat sensisass enesececatel possecnee wet ee
eer Sees
ietetoeer resonate ston,
SapRDEEEEZ
peer teeersees
[ 52]
Britain to all North America, both as prior
difcoverers and prior planters, without a dubfe-
quent defertion.
The traders from New York come hither,
up the Mobaweés river, which difcharges itfelf
into Ffydfons river ; but generally go by land
from Albany, to Schenectady about 20 miles
from the Mohawks river, the carriage 1s but
3 miles into the river that falls into the O-
neido \ake, which difcharges itfelf by the Ozezdo
river, into the Onendago river, and brings their
goods to O/wego in the manner I have before
related.
We came to the town about 12 o’clock, the
coemmiffary invited us to the caftle where we
dined, together with the Doctor and Clerk.
After dinner we had the fatisfaGtion of fwim-
ming in the lake Ontario, which is fome times
called by our Indians Cadarakin , this is alfo
the name of a french fort upon it, almoft op-
pofite to Ofwego, N. it has 4 baftions built
of ftone, and is near half a mile in circumference;
it ftands where the waters of this lake are al-
ready formed into the river St. Lawrence, which
makes a good road «for great barks under the
point of Cadarakin Bay. ‘The famous. and
unfortunate Mr. De /a Sale had two barks
which remains funk there to this day.
Thefe lakes are faid to have a kind of flux
and reflux peculiar, fince it is affirmed to be fen-
fibly ebb and flood feveral times in a quarter
of an hour, tho’ it be perfectly fmooth and
{carce
| iL 53 B
fearce any wind., But it is evident from the
face of the earth, that the water of the lake
Ontario is confiderably diminifhed and has loft
ground a great number of years, for the
fhores above a mile within land, are abun-
dantly more low, as well as of a “Joofer tex
ture then the oil beyond, whether this effec
is in common to all the waters on the
earth, according to a conjecture of the
great ‘Sir Ifaac Newton: Or whether it be
not at (leaft in part) owing to the removal
of fome great obftruétion, which by caufing
a fall in the river St. Lawrence, might for-.
merly pen the waters up to a greater height
than now; or only to the gradual wearing
away by the perpetual paflage of the water
over thofe falls that ftill fubfift: or to aca-.
fual ruin of fome part of one of them, E
- thall leave to the determination of a ia
able naturalift than myfelf
The water was very clear and as eal as
our river in May, it is well tafted and fup-
poled to be 120 miles broad, and near 200
long, ftreaching N. N. W. but this muft be an.
¢rror, the common maps giving it a bearing:
to the Northward of the lake, but Mr. Belin
fhews us it lies E. and W. ner the obfervae-
tions of ‘P:Charleveix, on the exactnefs of which
he thinks he cannot too much relie, and Bel-
lig in his 1 map of thefe lakes has giyen it this
bearing
w
phette
eH Free
oa
A ee Ie tee
pee
eer ee
Sone 3.525
CESSES ie sr
rere
aca tetesers
exer
SE
pie *ace tote tes
——
eres
SR =
Siete tetebs tee ae
SSS eae pal
see eee ae ae eres
oes sistessiese
Se eee
z Sees sent ey oo
Spa ae
sosesdtres:
Sespinns
$a iadee seers
poe Dor rte
re tenaa tesserae
Psettr sy
EE
tek eiesesess
SassE
Sastre see
Sieregeseeritets
apnoea at EN (aly ae Feel; i :
SR ALA ESANIANS Teo bee ast snsgatas Ls atone gyae dg ALELEE ge) ges Baee) og ve rs aRRRRSYOUONS etd LC ELPOSGIS SUPE SRTISN SAAD TOTARGTSTESU GHD SUL OPORSE HTB OObGEESUEU EL RERERLESBAT HIGHS
[ 54 J
bearing. We lodged in the caftle in the
captains chamber.
96th. Early inthe morning I walked out
looking for plants, as I had done the evening
before. I obferved a kitchen garden anc 4
grave yard to the S. W. of the caftle; which
puts me in mind that the neighbourhood of:
this lake is efteemed unhealthful, we were
entertained by one of the traders, with whom
we breakfafted; and bought of him fome
dryed beef. And a gallon of Rum we got at
the caftle. The traders had difpofed of moft
of their bifcuit and had packed up their
provifion, in order to return direétly to //-
jany + however, one of them went about to
the reft and colleéted us a good parcel of bil-
cuit, a kindnefs we were very fenfible of.
After breakfaft I regulated my journal, having
a convenient private room to do it in. We
dined at the caftle, and at 3 o'clock fet out
for Onondago. Two Indians helped to carry
fome of our baggage; the day was warm, the
dudians walked faft, our load was heavy and
we were fufficiently weary before we reached
the town near the falls, which was about fun>
fet, Indeed we had the favour of fhady woods
all the way, we lodged where we did before,
The Indian Squaws got very drunk and made
a fad noife till morning. My fear leaft our guide
was drunk alfo, added a good deal to aa indii-
pofition I was feiz’d with in the evening,
lane
Due
| Be FY
But in the morning I found him and his coms
panion, to my great joy, faft afleep veh the
Guttide of the cabin.
avth, We fet out early ne ‘edad our
canoe fafe where we left it, and it was with
much fatisfaction that I entered it. At halt
an hour after ten, we got to the firft fall, above
the great one, the Indians brought the canoe to
fhore and sytatihe fien for us to difembark and
walk along afhore, while they ftept into the
fiver, and hawled the canoe up the fall about
a quarter of a mile, by good land. We reim-
barked again, and at twélye came to the One?
do branch, up which the Albany traders re-
turn, after 2 or 3 months trade at Ofwego-
Caftle. At 3 0’clock we entered the Otiondago
lake, the upper end of which we gained by five,
the land about the lake is pretty 200d and fome
large: marfhes and rich low ground mofily on
each fide, but here and there the hills come
clofe to the water: T think it mui be eight
miles long and above one broad, very brackifh
at the fale plain; very deep in fome places
near the middle, but fhallow for 100 yards
from the fhore. The lvdians paddled the ca-
noe a little way higher up the ftream and might
have brought us to the town, if the fallen
trees had beer removed ; but whatever nature
has done for them ( and fhe is no where more
bountiful ) they are too lazy by any trou-
ble of their own to improve; but when com-
pelled by the moft urgent neceflity. © We
/
LeMay aeRO neers hes Meee Sous Sua SAMHSA aE
pene Seen eee Sil te) oe ® ~ = a ES = an
ee ap TF 5 ort ee =P SS oe eae ——e
:
Pert See
eee
aneeoniel = »
a Oe ee ee
e-
TRS eee
Sees
Sesssesete nesses ise:
SIE Pete tse
7 .
Nites? a ey aaa aia aeretviins ile tek
SSS
mia sereraheraressnerieeet
setae ft tet
sare
ve oo Sratoene
LESSER
Sear re
Pe
=
orpeetapeapeesasy
weiiisatsetebetessees
opaces
ahs ee oe
. We reached the town about fun-iet, equally
pleafed with our having improved the oppor-
tunity fo well by feeing Ontario lake, and
that we were returned fafe to the interpreter
and Indian Chiefs, thofe two laft days had
been pretty warm: our Ivdian guide was a
fallen, ilInatured, and I believe, a fuperftitious
fellow. Every now and then as we paddled
up the river, he would with acompofed coun-
tenance utter fomewhat pretty loud for about
the fpace of two minutes at a time, whether it
was a magical incantation, ora prayer, I can’t
tell; Iam fatisfied it was no fong, nor any
fpeech directed to us, or the udiaz with him,
for he feemed intirely unmoved all the time.
28th; This was a rainy thundering warm
day, and two deputies arrived from the Ozez
does. News came that the worms had de«
ftroyed abundance of corn and grafs in Canada.
This night we were troubled with fleas, and
what was worfe, our men execeding drunk and
noify ; our grievances in. the day were more
tolerable, being only women infefting us with
their company and bawling, in great good
humour, itideed I perceived to no quarrel
while among them. |
29th, Several more deputies arrived from
the Zufcaroroes, we went to vifit a poor ema-
ciated Indian, who they faid was bewitched,
he lived about a mile from the Council-Houfe.
“This
sr:
This day was warm, and feveral fhowers pafled
by to the fouthward,
30th, Three of the Mohawks arrived, this
nation dwells fartheft within the province of
New-York, and to the fouthward of the river
known by their name; abundance of whites
live among them, and ,as they are the beft
acquainted with the manners of the Lugii/h,
fo they have at all times fhewn the moft fieady
affection to our people, IT am forry to fay,
their morals are little if at all mended by
their frequent intercourfe with us Chriftians,
tho’ f am perfuaded it is not the fault of our
religion but its profeffors, perhaps this may
be efteemed a principal caufe why they are
become lefs numerous than any of their cone
dederates, | |
This morning after breakfaft, I went to
the eaft hill, and found a fine {pring on the
weft fide, furrounded with Arbor Vite, fome
a foot diameter, this water is of fuch a petri-
fying nature, that as it runs among the fallen
leaves it incrufts them and petrifies in great
frones as big as one can well lift; there was
a great piece of ground covered with them,
which had turned the water-courfe feveral
times, I have teen three of thefe {prings in my
travels; one on the other fide of Potomack
and one up Delawars at. Menefinks ; this hill
is good limeftone land, producing fugar ma-
ple, elms, beech, and fome white pine, which —
laf
erent ta ne ALL AE
Ha
vais
tenets! zee asey tree ests She = eeoees te tititerete: se: 3 SS =
Stones
25!
caeeeati
Se
Saevese ne! ae
SSS
ay
3
——
pees
Tae
oie
ss is titeistnyater™
- ©
ae
>
soeeeea
peskesessteten
SHitess
aoe erernarass
cere
nGRF Raa Re aT PHU Ton TT PARLE cE Teer Ea ag TT PT
[ 58 J :
iaft had then 3 or 4 cones, on 2 or 3 trees, but
they were quite green.
This afternoon the chiefs met in council,
and three of them {poke for near a quarter of an
hour each, two of thefe while {peaking, walked
backward and forward in the common patf-
fage, near 2 thirds of its length, with a flow
even pace, and much compoture and gravity
in their"countenance ; the other delivered what
he had to fay fitting in the middle, in a grace-
ful tone exhorting them to a clofe indiffoluble
amity and unanimity, for it was by this per-
feét union their forefathers had conquered their
enemies, were refpected by their allies, and
honoured by all the world; that they were
now met according to their antient cuftom,
tho’ feveral imminent dangers flood in_ their
way, mountains, rivers, {nakes and evil {pirits,
but that by the affiftance of the great Spirit
they now faw each others faces according to
appointment.
This the interpreter told me was the opening
of the diet, and was in the opinion of thete
people abundantly fufficient for one day, fince
there is nothing they contemn fo much as
precipitation in publick councils; indeed they
-efteem it at all times a mark of much levity in
any one to. return an immediate anfwer to a
‘ferious queftion however obvious, and they
‘confequently fpin out a Treaty, where many
“points are to be moved, to a great length of
: time,
[esac
time, as is evident from what our conference
with them, produced afterward at Lanca/fer
begun the 22d of Sune 1744. |
This council was followed by a feaft, after
4. o'clock we all dined together upon 4 great
kettles of Indian corn foop, which we foon
emptied, andthen every chief retired’ to his
home. ) a
31/f, In the morning, as foon as light, I
walked out to look at our horfes as ufual,
and clofe by a cabin fpied a knife almoft
covered with grafs; I fuppofed it loft, but
the Iudiaus being not yet ftiring let it lie:
a little after fun-rife I walked there again,
and the Sguaw being at the door, fhewed
her where it lay, at which fhe feemed ex-
ceeding pleafed, and picked it up immediately.
As I came back to our cabin, I fpy’d2 Indian
girls at play with beans, which they threw
from one to the other on a match coat {pread
between them; as they were behind our ca-
bin, 1 turned to fee how they play’d, but
they feemed much out of countenance, and
run off in an inftant: I obferved that the Jn-
dian women are generally very modeft.
_ About noon the council fat a 2d time, and
our interpreter had bis audience, being charge
by the governor with the conduct of thetreaty.
Conrad Weifer had engaged the Indian fpeaker
to open the affair to the chiefs aflembled in
I 2 and
eee
Ppt es Se “t=
ma 5
—
PACER Siete ee Te UNG AHRENS eD HaHa MOTE RERER ER EME Rae eer eT oe eT
mete aL UTA TATRTET TET
es
Perea tee eeeees at eS re jete
reasons estes
pee one aes
ne see
Sarees rare
2 se piers a ana se 8
= Steep aee et. spaent Meter steam
“= yas bale be bath pn aerate beta
——
«
~
Se pe silt He eS
r =2 cape:
SS38es7- Sip tetesces =
Waynes
Sptarasdretaterensasss!
Sietstes
Estat
and delived 3 broad belts and § firings of
Wampum to the council, on the proper occa-
fions. There was a pole laid ascrofs from
one chamber to another over the paffage, ‘on
this their belts and ftrings were hung,
that all the council might fee them, and here
have the matters itrremembrance, in confirma-
tion of which they were delivered; The con-
ference held till 3, after which we dined, this
repaft confifted of 3 great kettles of Inaian
corn foop, or thin homony, with dryd eels
and other fith boiled in it, and one kettle full of
young fquafhes and their flowets boiled’ in
water, and a little meal mixed 5 this difh was
but weak food, laft of all was ferved a great
bowl, full of Judian dumplings, made of
new foft corn, cut or fcraped off the ear, then
with the addition of fome boiled beans, lapped
well up in Jzdian corn leaves, this is good
hearty provifion. After dinner, we hada
favourable anfwer, coroborated by feveral belts
of Wampum, with a fhort fpeech to each, theie
we carried away as our tokens of peace and
friendfhip, the. harangue concluded with a
charge to fit {till as yet, for tho’ they had
difpatched our bufinefs firft, 1t was not be=
caufe they were weary of us, but to
make us eafy. This complement preceded
other bufinefs, which lafted till ‘near fun fer,
when we regaled on a great bowl of boiled:
cakes, 6-or 7 inches diameter, and about: 2
thick,
[ 61 |
thick, with another of boiled fquafh; foon
aiter, the chiefs in a friendly manner took their
leave of us, and departed every one to his
lodging: this night we treated two of the
chiefs that lived in the council hall, which as
i mentioned, was our quarters; they drank
chearfully, wifhing a long continuance of un:
interrupted amity between the Indians and
Luglifp.
Auguft 1. Six of the Auticoyue Indians had
an audience, but when they came to it, could
not make themfelves underftood, tho’ provided
with an interpreter brought near 7oo miles,
(they faid more) but he could not underftand
the Mohawk Language, but only the Delawar
and middling Auglifh, * fo they contrived he
fhould direct his fpeech to Conrad Weifar in
Lnghifb, and interpret this to the council. They
gave broad belts of Wampum, 3 arm belts
and § ftrings; one was to wipe clean all the
blood they had fpilt of the five zations, another
to raife a tumulus over their graves, and to
pick
\
* P. Charlevoix, perhaps from his own knowledge and the
information he has received from his brother miffionaries, ‘tells
us, that the languages of the northern part of North America,
are properly 3, the Sioux or Nadcuiffour, called by the Exgli//
Norway the Algonquin or Adirondack, and the Huron or Die
toghie oF which laft he makes the Jreguois called by our author
the Mohawk, a dialect; but adds, he knew not what language
is talked by the Cherokees, whether the language of the 4yre-
fogues be a diale&t of the Jaft which is very potlible; orof the
Adirondack which I take the Delawar tobe, I can’t deter
mine,
[ 62]
pick out the fticks, roots or ftones; and make.
it fmooth on the top, a third, to cleanfe the
ftomach of the living from gall or any thing
elfe that made them fick; a fourth was a
cordial to chear up their {pirits; a fifth, to
cloath their bodies and keep them warm,
a fixth, to join them in mutual friendthip, a
feventh, to requeft them to let them fettle on
a branch of Sufgebanah, another to intreat the
5 nations that they would take a little care
to protect theit women from infults while out
a hunting, and the reft for fuch like purpofes.
This bufinefs lafted 4 hours, then we dined
on Indian corn and f{quath foop, and boiled
bread. In the afternoon, I went on the
weftern mountain as I had the day before on
the eaftern; it was very rich and full of tall
timber quite to the top, the trees were linden,
elm, fugar-maple, white walnut, oak, hickery
and chefnut, befides ginfeng, and moft fort of
herbs that grow on our rich lime-ftone land.
Thele 2 days the wind was fouth and warm
and feveral fhowers to the 8. E. The council
met at 9 o’clock, and the kettles of foop and
a basket of dumplings were brought in for
our dinner; after dinner the Amtiogues de-
livered a belt and a firing of Wampum, with
a complaint that the Marylanders had depoted
their king, and defired leave to chufe one for
themfelves: to this, as well as all the articles
opened yefterday, the chiefs returned plaufible
but
et
ee
bot fubtil anfivers; then they gave us 2 ftrings
withal, telling us, that now they had thrown
water on our fire, and we were at liberty to
return home when we pleafed, they all took
their leave, and bid us adieu by fhaking hands
very kindly, and feemingly with much ffec-_
tion. This night the young men getting into
liquor, kept fhouting and finging till morn-
ing.
3d, We prepared for fetting forward, and
many of the chiefs came once more to take
their farewell ; fome of them brought us pro-
vifion for our journey, we fhook hands again
and fet out at 9. : :
It was greatly to my mortification, that 1
was forced to return for the moft part the
fame way I came. We had intended to go
through the Mohawks country to Albany, but.
our 2/udians could not be perfuaded to go that
svay, tho’ we offered to bear their charges,
and the chiefs were not willing we fhould leave
them to pafs through the wilderneis alone,
as they came to gratify us and further our
bufinets.
Th the afternoon, we afcended that lovely
mountain S. W. which divides the waters that
render tribute to the great ftreams of St. Lau-
rence and Sufguehanab. We did not directly
cro{s the mountain, but rode a {mall way on
t
its fummit under the grateful fhade of thofe
i
lofty trees that every way adorn it; and
This day was fair, and the wind S..
a{fter-
mec geen ee
ars Hist
a me pt i: 2 ROE SI I OR Hi BE BB Tp Fe ae ce ee
isa ~
ss SATUS Teach ESP :
aPRSESUSISTAES1SSEREScoesapsaeSi MS GHSH TORS S AS G4 GELRE goof ipecadnaasisbs Brig aah SEouseaReTOTLTALS43StysGed HSIALAHTA sedate SEA He beE Bae TE ett
= <
re
a Ne wack
SORE kes
bs Ms
a
i
q
i
oN
Eeoteesiess
zea
AES Se
eres
se
HTaost
seers
Fasiassusartaieeoes
ssaceee
sa e=8 63)
=
Se a i a
meine. . _
ite oS =
A Sar ee —
rete ep tene tes ete : z Stata
siitstescjesasoseiers
nea steratet tates tote
=o.
“5357
SSeS
Teper
SIS
ety Sey.
Petseats sretestrs:
eS Sa
= = LS
SSR
estisee actasssspinera
atirereees
ES EE SET a SEE
Sree as aot SS seteres:
Seseeseeea eae $45
qssesseessy Teepe tye the tert re
eats
—s
he
$=3>2>
resete ese:
on prpepey—per er.
MLN
Sear sre
yeceos
State
carte
Wy
[ 64 |
afterwards we.traveled feveral miles on itg
S. W. fide, where we enjoyed a fine profpect
ofa {pacious rich vale on our left hand. On
this hill we faw a lime ftone a little bigger
than my head, which ts rare in thefe parts.
We entered the vale at 5, then croffed 2
and rode along a rich level for feveral
miles, and under the
very tall trees that brought us to a creek, a
branch. of Safguebanab, where we lodged fur-
rounded by ginfeng.
4th, This was a fine day, and our traveling
cool, becaute fhady, and the goosberries being
now ripened, we were every now and then
tempted to break off a bough and divert our-
felves with picking them, tho’ en_horfe.
back. ,
5t@, This morning was clear and cool, and
now our journey was truly charming, it is
icarce poflible to think the advantage we had
in returning from the fingle circumftance of
being free from thofe {mall enats that tor-
mented us in our going fo grievoufly. But
our return being moitly in the fame path, it
will be needlefs to detcribe the land or its
productions again.
6ib, We fet out an hour before funrife, the
‘morning: clear,, at halfan hour after ten we
reached Owagan, and turned our horfes to
erais, while we flopped at a cabin. The
Sguaw brought in a bowl of huckle-berries,
ta
L442
are F
Bee
4
°
te
sod
t &
=
delightful protection of
ESET IESE CORSE TEE Te sangpasinastige |
. L 6s J . : iil
to ftay our fomachs, and foon after a large :
Kettle fall of {mall homony boil’d in ftrong
venifon broth; this was noble entertainment,
SES Ce te _
Be = - CN
eens eli st =i
streeer rors Sites
pgtatr te asemes 234
and too good to leave any of. I heartily : a
pityed the poor Squaw, for I believe fhe had &F
drefled it for herfelf and feveral children : fhe | ff
alfo obliged us to accept of a fine piece of ik &
venifon to carry away. Here we killed a rat- ff
st
tle fnake; the fecond we had feen today : at 4 :
one we continued our journey through groves of &
es
pine of a ftupendous ftature ; the land mid-
ling for 2 miles S.W. to the river, then a
variable courfe over land of equal goodnefs,
oak and hickery, fome bottoms rich; and by
three we crofs’d a fine creek. where we {pyed
a grey dquirrel which our Indian would have
fhot, had it not been on the top of a white ie
oak: here we found very {tony ground, great ay
_Ttones having been drove by one common |
force, into a form like that of fith ipalesy.
yet this was a mile from the river, and many
yards perpendicular above the bed of it, — this
may be the effects of the univerfal deluge, or
fome mighty torrent of water fince that, muft
have flowed over thefe ftones and wafhed them
thus bare. We travelled till-about two hours
by the jun, and then pitched by the river, C
which run fall W. there was high barren - y
eee
Hp
Sec ere sions e235 ee
a =
= Sraiesrpsemete tease
iscgt pis feneeseecene=as
ety
See ee
Sea rcieh teeta
ag avuteiseesaese
mrs rpep ep.
Sie aera pope eee ese
\mountains on the upper fide, here the river
was deep and fmooth enough for fat bottom’d
veffels, which made us heartily with that we
Vere
-
an eg te =
RN ae ae ee eae
i > i 35 2 ay ae , ceerian ae Eo STN MITER
_— penn ste a saint pereteteten htdtycuebeaeioysahie iAsebanghssaiasheunnenenen susaesboargbasituset eng cathe
Ei sEsgredays sgesbvor sigue sd lsenne ole ona cdegscelbbi eee) tigrsesigtusregi Pr bad is idsbigeds Out ; ne ¥
{1 S54
were in a canoe, and our horfes at Shamokin,
for we dreaded the difmal wilderneis between.
We obferved here an old log, which the
bears had cunningly turned to pick up the
{nails, beetles, and grubbs, that had crept under
it for fhelter.
“th, We tod over middling land, producing
oak, pine, and great magnolia, to the Zobicon
‘town on the Cayugo branch ; this place we ar-
rived at by noon but ftayed there all night,
frighted by feveral fhowers that pafled over the
mountains in fight: indeed it rained a little
here, I walked to the branch after dinner,
and found abundance of foffils on the banks,
but the diftance of the way, and heavy load
of our baggage, were an infurmountable bar
to my bringing any home. This day the
Anticogue interpreter that travelled with us from
Onondago, who lett the patha little to hunt,
misd our traét and hit upon an Jvdian town,
3 miles up the branch, and there picking up a
Squaw brought her with him. The chief
man of the town came to vifit us in a very
friendly manner, and our interpreter telling
hint where we had been, what about, and how
well we had fucceeded ; he teftified abundance
of fatisfaction that peace was not like to be
interrupted, he added, when he came home
his people told him, we had pafled through
their town, but that we had not informed
cr * g .
fe Fy ce gy > renee barr tin + fe
them OF OUI OULINCIS.
This
eee
ic ine
c
Toibiiisbicibstbsiysios beara re iitit taveiems assy trbes seis So bieiases tik ssiiis eis tis)
PE Oe OE IT BIT Om” He See, ae
’ Ke
) lee Le
This furnifhes us with an inftance of the
Punctilio the Indians conftantly treat travellers
with, the people though earneftly defiring to
know our commiffion, would not take the
liberty to ask us. This night our fellow
traveller lodged with his occafional wife in a
-corner of our cabin, and in the morning
would have taken her with him at our ex-
pence, to the great vexation of Mr Weifar, who
thought it intolerable that an intruder fhould
gratifie his private inclinations to the fhort-
ning of our neceffary provifions, already in-
jufficient; as we did not take much pains to
conceal this refentment, he had determined to
part with her, though with much regret, and -
accordingly left her when we croffed the
branch, giving her a_ farewell fhout; we
heard this with much joy, and I believe it
was as well for the parties. | |
874,We continued our journey without meet-
ing any thing worth remarking, the ground we
had paffed rode over in our way out, and had
lodged at the very creek we {pent this night at.
9th. We travelled to a fine creek big enough
to drive two mills, we ftoped for this night at
the foot of a great hill, cloathed with large
Magnolia, 2 feet diameter and 100 feet high;
perfectly ftraizht, fhagbark-hickery, chefout
and chefnut oak. This is like a bridge be-
tween the N.E. and N.W. branches of Su/-
quehanah: here is alfo a fpring ftom whence
the water runs to both branches,
K 2.
t1orh,
ares ests an thio retes oene
Soo EASE BER eRe eH ST
aT Leeabopeseneste! et
Soni
Ons 0
San ees
= Trt psese
‘
Seespeeccereries sone anaes
Pitre Pea etree et
Pabetenens eT eo
eteteTs:
SS:
SS
Sree
Soe etree
ene o~ on Te OS OO eee:
meen te.
Stiles gorse esasesiestonse
Se or ee
ete ibe ooops
Seem wets
STS HELIER Fab Sa 440075 UCST Ta aE TSE TCR ITS HE ERT EEE |
[sy]
roth Auguft, We fet out, the fun halfan
ourhigh, travelled along a rich hill fide, where
weobterv’d apretty many rocks,thendown to a
Licking-place by 8, where our intruder who was
a good way beforeus fhotat an Elk, and having
wounded him, purfued him feveral hours. We
waited his return till 2 o’clock, Lewis Evans
took an obfervation here, and found the lat.
41. ahalf. Set out again at 3, and travelled
over fine rich ground by a creek where we
lodged. LItook a fancy toafcend 2 thirds of
the height of a neighbouring hill, in the way I
came to abundance of loofe ftones,and very crag-
gy rocks, which feemed to threaten impending
ruin, the foil was black and very rich, full
of great wild flinging nettles, as far as I went
¥ rolled down feveral loofe ftones to make a
path for my more expeditious return. This
J found the /zdzans much difturbed at, for
they faid it would infallibly produce rain the
next day, I told them I had fufhcient experi-
ence, it fignified nothing, for it was my com-
mon practice to roll down ftones from the ton
ofevery fteep hill, and could not recollect that
it ever rained the next day, and that I was al-
moft fure tomorrow would be a very fair day.
11th, We got out before fun rife, and rode
oververy good bottoms of Linden, Poplar and
Elm, we killed a rattle {nake, and foon after
found a patch of Chamevadodendron, at 8 we
came to a cgeek winding f
from between the
mountains
A
ae [ 69 |
mountains on the left, then along a level to
another from the right, which we crofled to
our former cabin. Quickly after we reached
a bad hill, whereT firft found the Ginfeng in
th's journey, the foil was black and light, with
flat {tones facing the eaft, there we pafled by
9, then over a bottom of laurel and pine to a
creelc we had feveral times croffed, when ob-
ftructed as frequently we were by hills, keep
ing clofe to the water on the fide we were ri-
ding. At 10 we left this creek for the fake
oa fhorter way than we came, for this pur-
pole we kept a S. courfe to the top of a high
but very poor hill, which we reached about a qr.
after eleven, and had a profpect ftill to a gap
we were to pais to the river; the northfide of |
this hill was cloathed with tall fpruce, while
pine and beech, the top with chefnut, fcrubby
oak, and huckle berries, the S. fide with fhrub,
honeyfuckles &c. Our way was now over 4
poor pebble ftoney vale of laurel, fpruce firr,
pine, chefnut, and huckle berries, to a Ruz of
water; where we dined on parched meal
mixed with water. We left that place at half
an hour after one, and foon found ourfelves
much diftrefled by the broad flat ftones on the
fide of the hill, our way lay over. Our horfes.
could hardly ftand, but even flipt on their fides
on our left a rivulet rufhed from a precipice,
-and the mountains were fo fteep and clofe to
its fides, that we were oblidged to climb to the
top .
he acta eminence onc Bw -
pean a4 ESR ent USTED LTEIUG ES OE POETEESTUETE ETL RSS STEREOS SSUORTNUTUETOTS COUT
Shee i
= aes bee
—
an, CE ae
Ce ee ee
Sais > pct aa tte ee
Setgsstssis
eee se
——
Seapets
Sor
eer
igtatetasehares
SS
Pre See omen
saeteee
sitet.
Seer rae
Se
—
pre
See
songs
StS Ser re
ewe
eee
er stytaSenewenaee
Se
Beaslitste es
Sy Seo.
pene esses
Laee eee:
Serpette
[ 70 J
top of that on the weit; here we fuffered our
horfes ta reft while we gathered huckle berries
to eat, we travelled on the top a good way all
i! to the point, which was very narrow, and
the flat ftones on each fide turned up like the tidge
of a houfe, this reminded me of Dr. Burnets
Lheory, and his ingchious Aypothe/is, to. account
for the formation of mountains. The defcent
was moderate, the land middling, oak, chefnut
and huckle-berries: we found a Aww here and
repofed ourfel ves for this night, ihe {upped
on venifon, fhot by our Indians who left us
onthe hill that evening. It was fair and plea-
dant, and the great green gr atehO pet began
to fing (Catedidift ) thefe were. the firft I ob-
oad this year. Before day break it began
to rain, it lafted about an hour and then ceaf-
ed. The Indians infifted that was caufed by
the ftones I rolled down 2 days ago, I told the
Antecogue Indians it their obfervations had
any truth it fhor ald have been the day before,
which was remarkably fair. Tothis he cuningly
replyed, that our Almanacks often prognotfti-
cated on a day, and yet the rain did not come
within two days.
12th, This day, the land produced middling
oak, pitch, pine, and huckleberries, fometimes
pebblesan id a fhallow foil. Wedinedonvesden
(pz aitly our own, and partly given us by the
“Indian s)atad tele rted town about 7 miles off:
this is calle ans 1¢ French town, froma French~~|
woman
Lz]
woman who married a Delawar Indian, and
conformed to their manners; fhe left feveral
children behind her, who were now come to
look after their horfes and break the young
ones. It rained very faft for an hour, and in
the midft of it about half a fcore of the
5 Natiozs, who had been on the back of S.
Polina to fight the Catawha’s, pafled very
faft through the town with one poor female
prifoner, they fhouted couragioufly, but we
learnt no particulars of this great enterprize:
about 3 it cleared up, we croffed the creek and
travelled about 1o miles, moft of the way
good rich land, extenfive bottoms and high
erais: IT faw one lovely white Zychnus 5 feet
high. Near night it began to rain, and we
made a bark cabin, w hich’ Kept us pretty dry,
the rain continued all night with thunder.
137%, It cleared up early in the morning. We
moved forward to our firft cabin, where we
dined on parched meal, which is fome of the
beft Ludiaus travelling provifion. We had of
it 2 bags, each a galion, from the Indias at
Onondago, the preparation of it is thus. They
take the corn and parch it in hot afhes, till
it becomes brown, then clean it, pound itina
mortar and fift it; tl his powder is mixt with
fugar. ~ About 1 qr. ofa a pint, diluted in a pint
of w ater, 1s a hearty traveling dinner, when
100 miles from any inhabitants: about 2 hours
after feting out we came near the river. Here
>
[727]
5 of us rode over agreat rattle fhake unfeen
and unhurt. I perceived. him juft as my
mare was over him; a little further we
faw another juft by us. We trayelled till near
fun fet, when 2 of our Indians were taken
with a bad fit ofan ague, this obliged us to
encamp by the river, where our horfes had
excellent food. At about 20 rods from it I faw
a bank much higher up, being near 30 feet
perpendicular above the furface of the water,
raifed gradually to this height by the frequent
floods, which this weftern branchis much fubject
too. Thus by fand continually heaped upon the
firm fand, it is become a ftrong fand bank.
14th, We pafied through an old town,
where we found plumbs, peaches, and noble
clufters of large grapes growing, very deep in
fand, left about them by the flood I menti-
oned juft now; a little farther the land was
rich and low, covered with high weeds
and grais, with locuft, linden, walnut and elm,
the higher land with elm and oak. At 2:
o'clock we reached Shamokin, here we boiled
dumplins and had plenty of water melons ; we
Ttayed all night.
15th, Next day by noon we came to AMoho-
nyoy, where we ftayed dinner, in the afternoon
we rode over fome ftony poor land,. then pi-
ney, white oak, and fome middling land.
1674, This morning I was entertained with
the Mufical howling of a wolf, which I had ~
not
| 789
not heard for many years, but my companions
were too faft afleep to hear it, we fet out earl
and by one had croffed the 3 ridges of the die
mountains, and the 2 {pruce vales, were the
branches of Swatara ran, and dined in St,
Anthonys Wildernefs, as Count Zinzendorf has
named it. We mounted again at 2 and climb-
ed up the 8. ridge, and at the top let our hort
es reft, for they were cover’d with fweat. In
the.mean time we look’d for water, but found
none, in this fearch we found an Indian Squaw
drying huckle berries. This is done by fet-
ting 4 forked fticks, in the ground, about 3
or 4 feet high, then others a-crofs, over them
the ftalks of our common Yacea or Saratula,
on thele lie the berries, as malt is fpread on
the hair cloth over the kiln. Underneath the
had kindled a fmoke fire, which one of her
children was tending. The quantity of their
huckle berries growing on ‘and between thefe
ridges, is prodigious, the top of the S. ridge is
pretty good land, and affords a fine profpect of
the great and fertile vale of Tulpihocken, the
ridge itfelf is pleafant. When we had refted
ourfelves and our poor tired horfes, we lead
them moft of the way for 20 miles, this gave
us an opportunity of gathering what quantity
we pleated of their berries, tho’ we eat rather
more than F thought: we might fafely venture
on, yet we found no ill confequence from our
excels, When we were defcended we had but
ig 2 miles
sor an MENGE NE STE AS eS oe ee
| 74 j
4 miles to a houfe, where we lodged, it rained
faft in the evening and great part of the night
itfelf. And we heartily congratulated our-
{elves on the enjoyment of good bread, butter
and milk, in a comfortable houfe, and clean
ftraw to fleep on, free from fleas.
17th, Though my mare was fo lame, fhe had
not ftirred 20 yards all night, yet we got this
day by noon to Mr Conrad Weifars , but under
the difficulty of carrying my baggage good
part of the way on my back, befides’ being
{earcely able to get her along : when fhe came
into the pafture, fhe ftretched herfelf at full
length and rofe no more for 24 hours. In the
afternoon I fpentmy time on Mr Werfar’s high
hill, gathering of iecds; here the great vale
and blue mountains form a lovely profpect.
1824, I borrowed a horie of Mr Weifar,
and fet up all night at Mozatawony.
roth, Before funfet, I had the pleafure of
fecing my own houfe and family: I found
them in good health, and’ with a fincere mind,
1 returned thanks to the almighty power,
that had preferved us all:
In this journey into the heart of a country,
ftill in the poffeffion of it’s original inha-
bitants : JT could not help fometimes to
‘divert the length. of the way by reflecting
on their manners, their complection fo
different from’ ours, and their Traditions :
this led me to conjecture at their origin, or
i whence
ee
ge
whence they came into America, and at what
time. Perhaps it may be equally hard to dil-
prove or to prove that they were originally
placed here by the fame creator who made the
world, as foon as this part of it became ha-
bitable, for it is reafonable to fappofe the
almighty power provided for the prepline
of this, as well asof the other fide of the
globe, by a fuitable ftock of the human
{pecies,
However if we are to account for their
paffing from what is called the old world,
there are many relations of voyages hither
from the North of /urope, previous to that of
Columbus, which though dark and uncertain,
are neither evidently fabulous, nor even im-
probable from either the length or difficulties
of the way. ‘That the Norwegians, the pol-
{effors of Iceland, tor many ages paft had
colonies in Greenland, isa fact too well
attefted to admit a doubt, from Greenland
the fhort paflage crofs Daon’s Streights brings
us into the continent of 4merica. If thele
colonies be put out of the queftion, it is fcarce
poffible to think, that of the numerous flects
with which the Danes and Norw Wegians ter-
rified continually the reft of Lurope, nene
tempted by the hopes of gain, or drove by ftrefs
of weather, fhould ever fall in with the coafts
of New ufoundl: land or Gulpb of St.. La
If it be obiected that the navigators o
oo
A
Be
times were too unskilfull to attempt fuch a
cifcovery, does it not furnifh us with a reafon
to account for its being made by chance. If
this paflage was ever publickly known, whichis
nore probable it was not, might not the know-
ledge of it be loft as that to Greenland, and
can we be fure that the Greeuland of the Nor-
wegrans was not more to the fouthward of
that country now fo called. I am not lgnor-
ant that thefe traditions of the Norwegian
colonies, as well as many others to the fame
point, particularly that of prince Madoc has
been treated as meer fiction ; but let us not
forget that Flerodotus’s account of the doub-
ling the Gape of Good Hope has been treated fo
likewife too, tho’ the fac be now eftablithed to
the degree of moral certainty.
Again, it is not unlikely but there may be
fand moft of the way from America to japan,
at leaft iflands, feparated only by narrew chan-
nels, and in fight, or nearly fo, of one another.
{ have been lately informed of an Indian wo-
man, well known by a perfon in Cawadg, and
alter an interval of many years met again by
the lame perton in Chinefe Tartary ; he could
i
tranfe
ferred by captivity, . fale, or gift, from one
nation to another tll fhe was brought where
he
[77.4
he fourid her. If this be true it muft be
Continent moft of the way.
Another manner of peopling this fide of the
earth, particularly S. America, might be by
fome veflels of the Egyptians, ‘Phenicians, or
Carthaginians being blown off the coaft of
Gumea to that of Brazil, or the Antilles in
their courfe, to or from the cape of Good-
Hope; in which cafe, for want of thofe 4ts
and Sciences which are not to be found in
América, before it’s plantation by the whites,
and which are feldom to be met with ina
fhips crew, they muft take to that way of life
our Judians now follow. This conjecture is the
more probable, as even in the ftate of perfe@ti-
on, the art of navigation is now arrived at,
this accident is often unavoidable. .
But whatever was their origin, our fix Aati-
ons may be now thus characterifed: they are
a fubtile, prudent, and judicious people in
their councils, indefatigable, crafty, and re-
vengeful in their wars, the men lazy and in-
dolent at home, the women continual flaves,
modeft, very loving, and obedient to their
usbands. As to the natural difpofition of
hefe Nations, they are grave, folid, and ftill
in their recreations, as well as in their councils.
he Delawar's and Sufquebanah’s, on the
trary, are very noify in their recreations,
} fe as OF SO Se a ek OR, fe cee : Ave
and loud in difcourfe ; but all when in liquor,
7
% zy v4 oF
MELT Neer MBN Mr UrTAmMmeNn entre a by i Herth, f
ey netner Men mei HY Omen, re Ow LOS IDCTTy G
fho uting
[78]
fhouting, finging, and dancing at an extrava-
gant rate, till the operations of the liquor
ceafe; or being wearied they fall afleep.
The fix nations enjoy the character of
being the moft warlike people in N. America,
this they have acquired by the uninterrupted
ftate of war, they have continued in probably
near 200 years, and which has been attended
with fach fuccefs, that has made them the dread
of people above 1000 miles diftant. It can-
not however be fuppofed, but they have fre-
quently met with feveral checks, efpecially
fince the French aflifted all their enemies open-
ly near thefe 100 years paft.
Their wars were formerly eartied on with
much more cruelty then of late, their prifon-
ers who had the misfortune to fall into their
hands, being generally tortured to death, now
their numbers being very much diminifhed by
conftant wars, with both diftant and neigh-
bouring nations, and perhaps a good deal part-
ly by the fpirituous liquors, and difeafes the
Europeans have brought among them. They
very politically ftrive to ftrengthen themfelves
not only by alliances with their neighbours,
but the prifoners they take, they are almoit
always accepted by the relations of a warrior
flain in his place, and thus a boy of 15, 18
fometimes called father by men of 30. This
naturalizes them of courfe, and unites them
‘ato the tribe the deceafed belonged to, This
nt
cuitom
- at
RAGE RI Te ae ee + he
vee
el ‘
cuftom is as antient as our knowledge of them,
but when their number of warriours was more
_than twice as many as now, the relations would
more frequently refufe to adopt the prifoner,
but rather chufe to gratify their thirft of
revenge, hee: ves
Their religious notions are very. confufed
and much mixed with fuperftition. Yet they
feem not only to acknowledge a deity, but e-
ven to worfhip him in unity and fpirit. What
benefits they receive, they afcribe to a dij-
vine power. They have ftrange notions
of fpirits, conjuration, and witchcraft : thefe
are agreeable to their blindnefs, and want of
proper education among them, for I have al.
ways oblerved, that the belief of fupernatu-
val powers in a meer man, generally prevails
in proportion to a Perfon’s ignorance.
A Letter from Mr. Kau, @ Gentleman of
Sweden, now on his Travels in America,
ise his friend nu Philadel phia ; contaming a
particular Account of the Great Faz of
Niagara. :
psig hel Be Albany, Sép. 2, 1750.
ALE a pretty long journey made in a fhort
time, I am come back to this town. You
may remember, that when I took my leave of ~
you, I told you, I would this fummer, if time
permitted, take a view of Niagara Fawr,
efteemed
gee
hs — nee at ii a a at i ae ttt - ee es
aU sisEeRtistahLHati thy este elgg sede geen good hisedasidareia pyre rarer ee eres A YAEUSLSAhER STABAIRSESGTAAI sett
Stan ici. ake
7 etter
f
}
4
{
i
De
hi ;
‘,
*,
i
i :
8
&g
&
UE ay
_ i
a
stared:
peas
SSeS:
Seat Sates
8 SSS
statene
ets penser
as
ese}
FES
aes, SIE Ea mesons,
a LS
== i: eee te.
mista hubituTeteee athe see
; 80 4
eficemed.one of the greateft curiofities in the
World. . When I came lait year from Quebec,
you enquir’d of me feveral particulars concern-
ing this fall; and I told you what I heard of
it in Cas nada, from feveral french gentlemen
who had been there: but this was ftill all
hearfay.;. I. could net. affure you of the
truth of it, becaufe 1 had not then feen it
mytfelf, ae fo it could not fatisfy my own,
much lefs your curiolity. Now, fince I have
been on the {pot, it isin my. power to give
you a more perfect and fatisfadtory deicription
of it.
After a fatiguing travel, firft on horfeback
thro’ the country. of ;the Six ludian. Nations,
to. Ofwwege, and from_ thence in a Canoe upon
lake Ontario, came on the oe hof Auguft
in the evening to Niagara fort. The French
there feemed much pe erplexed at my firft com.
ing, imagining J was an Enelifh officer,
who under pretext of feei ing Niag ara Falls.
came with’ iome other view; "but as foon as I
i1ew’d them my paffports, they chaneg’d their
behaviour, and rectiv ved me with the ereateft
civility, Niagara Fall is fix Irench leagues
from Niagara Bort. you firit go three leagues
by: water up Niagara river, and then three
léeazues over the cartyit 12 place. As it was late
when Ta rriy at the Fort, I could not the
fame day go tothe Fall, but I prepar’d myfelf
io it the next morning. The commandant
a c
Or
(cr
{ & J
of the Fort, Monfr. Beaujon, invited all the
officers and gentlemen there to fupper with
him. [I eh read formerly almoft all the
authors that have wrote any thing about this
Fall; and the laft year in Canada, had.
made fo many enquitics about it, that e
thought J had a pretty good Idea of | it ;-and
now at fupper, requefted the gentlemen, to tell
me all they knew and thought worth notice
relating to it, which they accordingly did,
I obferved that in many things they all
agreed, in fome things they were of different
opinions, . of all which I took particular
notice. When they had told me all they
knew, I made feveral queries to them con-
cerning what I had read and heard of it,
whether fuch and fuch a thing was true or.
not ? and had their anfwers on “every circum-
ftance. But as I have found by experience.
in my other travels, that very few obferve.
nature’s works with accuracy, or report the
truth precifely, I cannot now beentirely fatisfied
without feeing with my own eyes whenever
tis in my power, Accordingly the next.
‘morning, being the 13th of Augujf, at break
of day, T fet out for the Fall. The com-
mandant had given orders to two of the
Officers of the Fort to go with me and
fhew me every thing, and alfo fent by
them an order to Montfr. Fonyueiré, who had.
liy’d ten years by the carrying-place, and—
| M Knew
ee a lata AOI AS a eos
—— SOP ee - -
OO ot sist ne PaTaSayas shvlssteishg ang idegus toed FEU suaesadiginty agile op ggbaeseeeeae retatedeteatgra te ebtesb tas Hisbaigte
est
eties
—— r= ae
Ssitetaferabsaserasasessasse
eee rats
Seperate
seiehets ssigeaesiese
Setecssastes;
Besssestos:
nome
Se eaetasteseeaege
sprees
Seven
paseseese
een
=
SSS
FAS
os
eae
i
= e
a ee
arc
seeeessaz
roe
eo pinez
isspecstecessss
SESE Sib tetas)
2: iste Sstesysesess
rey rargeacd edsasibianetetateasresssasay sessveadh
[ 82 J
knew every thing worth notice of the Fall,
better than any other perfon, to go with
me, and fhew and tell me whatever he knew.
A little before we came to the carrying-place,.
the water of Niagara River grew fo rapid,
that four men in a light birch canoe, had
much difficulty to get up thither. Canoes can
go half a league above the beginning of the
carrying-place, tho’ they mutt work againit
a water extremely rapid ; but higher up it 1s
quite impoffible, the whole courfe of the
water for two leagues and a half up to the great
Fall, being a feries of fmaller Falls, one under
another, in which the greateft canoe or Battoe
would in a moment be turn’d upfide Gown.
We went afhore therefore, and wa k’d over
the carrying-place, having befides the high
and fteep fide of the river, two great hills to
aféend one above the other. He: on the
carrying-place I faw above 200 Jadians, mott
of them belonging to the S7x Nations, bufy in
carrying packs of furs, chiefly of deer and
bear, over the carrying-place. You would
be furpriz’d to fee what abundance of theie
things are brought every day over this place.
An Indian gets 20 pence for ever pack he
carries over, the diftance being three leagues.
Half an hour paft 10 in the morning we came
to the great Fall, which I found as follows.
to the river (or rather flrait,)rans here from
e S, E.to Ny N. W and the rocks of the great
Fall
ie. ser : ROP iT iran apa oa Lear AAR EG Saaae aa —
F8 Gait ty ‘ *! : +
¥
Pe herd |
Ball croffes it, not in a right line; but form-
ing almoft the figure of a femicircle or horfe
fhoe. Above the Fall, in the middle of the
tiver is an ifland, lying alfo S.$. FE. and
N.N. W. or paraliel with the fides of the
river; its length is about 7 or 8 french arpents
(an arpent being 180 feet.) the lower end of
this Ifland is juftat the perpendicular edge of
the Fall. On both fides of this ifland runs all
the water that comes from the lakes of Canada,
viz. Lake Superior, lake Michigan, lake
Huron, and lake Evie, which you know are
rather {mall feas than lakes, and have befides
a great many large rivers that empty their
_ water in them, of which the greateft part comes
down this Niagara Fall. Before the water
comes to this ifland, it runs but flowly, com-
pard with its motion when it approaches
the ifland, where it grows the moft rapid
water ia the World, runing with a ‘furprizing
{wiftnefs before it comes to the Fall; it is
quite white, and in many places is thrown
high up into the air! ‘The greateft and ftrongeft
battoes would here in a moment be turn’d
over and over. The water that goes down on
the weit fide of the ifland, is more rapid, in
greater abundance, whiter, and feems almoft
to outdo an arrow in {wiftnefs.
at the Pall, and look up the river, you may
fee, that the river above the Fall is every
where exceeding fleep, almoft as the fide of a
BVA Spots i
a teal ASA iets sate ea:
When you are |
ane 5 :
Sees
Pope ere tear
ES
ae
te
++.
fapore
Sow Pee ae Se ee OES he
et pba baer ee
safe tetece tes
Sree
assisiess
Pee”
Scere t
rites
—_—
titrterstet te
ee
SSHRHSREIASUASTIELS EAH Havadig iss att aratbnesL reat eMeLC TAL t AbepSE RF eTaTay HTHIDE RIVET Hrseat at sEsereer enc ye par pret
L 84 ]
hill. When all this water comes to the very
Pall, there it throws itfelf down perpen-
dicular! It is beyond all belief the furprize
when you fee this! I cannot with words.
exprefs how amazing it is! You cannot fee
it without being quite terrified; to behold
fo vaft a quantity of water falling headlong
from a furprifing height! I doubt not
but you have a defire to learn the exact
height of this great Fall. Father Hennepin,
fuppofes it 600 Feet perpendicular ; but
he has gained little credit in Canada ; the
name of honour they give him there, is az
grand Menteur, ot The great Liar; he writes
of what he faw in places where he never was.
‘tis true he faw this Fall: but as it is the way
of fome travellers to magnify every thing, fo
has he done with regard to the fall of Néa-
gara. ‘This humour of travellers, has occa-
fioned me many difappointments in my tra-
vels, having feldom been fo happy as to find
the wonderful things that had been related by
others. For my part, who am not fond of
the Marvellous, I like to fee things juft as
they are, and fo to relate them,’ Since Father
Heunepin’s time, this Fall by all the accounts
that have been given of it, has grown lefg and
Jefs; and thofe who have meafur’d it with
fe
So
mathematical inftruments find the perpendi-
cular fall of the water to be exadly 137 feet.
A, ye Widie Se 3 it oR, | Toe
Montr. Morandrier, the king
2 Peay ae Ao NS
Ss engineer in
fi
Canada,
sev siaranusieg/ivsshageicoreisvelAseu ava 304 CARNE RASD INTUTE
oS eer ate — t
| ie ii a : |
Canada, affared me, and gave it mealfo under _ 1
his hand, that 137 Feet was precifely the a
height of it; and all the Fremch Gentlemen
that were prefent with me at the Fall, did a
agree with him, without the leaft contradiction: ta
it is true, thofe who have try’d to meafure it ] &E
with a line, find it fometimes 140, fometimes te
150 feet, and fometimes more ; but the reafon
is, it cannot that way be meafured with any
certainty, the water carrying away the -
Line. When the water is come down to
the bottom of the rock of the Fall, it jumps
back toa very great heighth in the air; in
other places it is white as milk or fnow; and .
all in motion like a boiling chaldron.——You | a
may remember, to what a great diftance He- |
nepin {ays the noife of this great Fall may be | 2
heard. All the gentlemen who were with 4%
me, agreed, that the fartheft one can hear it,
is, 15 leagues, and that very feldom. When e
the air is quite calm, you can hear it to Noa-
gara Fort; but feldom at other times, becaufe : f
when the wind blows, the waves of Lake ait
Ontario make too much noife there againft
the Shore. They inform’d me, that when
they hear at the Fort the noife of the Fall, |
louder than ordinary, they are fure a North | |
Eaft Wind will follow, which never~fails : :
eetites
Sore
paba bas eats
Srp boners
5 oe ecr
ae
eres
pet gesssat:
Serres Soke
SET i eee
bataratesrisesBonsthtatits
sfenpossereseosseststs3o%s
ste
saSrecene sasgtaiesy
Fier:
esthiee:
Sees
CS Sea
esse
this feems wonderful, as the Pall is South Weft ei,
from the Fort: and one would imagine it to ee |
be rather a fign of a contrary wind. Some- i
times, 7
Se a RS Oa
“_——
I
atenens Sty Tete bia Sean TES Ese Ln es SErieede sik icFoTetaigrgtd tAtacy gras sia palavacesataratoretana thoes ison HEUTE TTR gate
[ 86 ]
times, ’tis faid, the Fall makes a much greatet
noife than at other times ; and this is look’d.up-
on asa certain mark of approaching bad wea-
ther, or rain; the Jvdiaus here hold it always
for a fare fign. When I was there, it did not
make an extraordinary great noife: juft by
the Fall, we could eafily hear what each other
faid, without fpcaking much louder than com-
mon when converfing in other places. Ido
not. know how others have found fo great a
noife here, perhaps it was at certain times,
as abovementioned. . From the Place where
the water falls, there rife abundance of vapours,
like the greateft and thickeft imoak, fome-
times more, fometimes lefS: thele vapours
xife high in the air when it is calm, but . are
difpers’d by the wind when it blows hard.
If you go nigh to this vapour or fog, or if
the wind. blows it on you, it is fo penetrat-
ing, thatina few minutes you will be as wet
as if you had been under water. I got two
young Frenchmen to go down, to bring, me
from the fide of the Fali at the bottom, tome
of each of the feveral kinds of herbs, ftones °
‘and fhells they fhould find there; they re-
turned in a few minutes, and 1 really thought
‘they had fallen into the water: they. were
obliged-to ftrip themfelves quite naked, and
hang their clothes in the fun to dry. When
you are on the other Haft fide of the Lake
Qutario;,, a great many leagues from the Fall,
you
“
| L Bey
you may, every clear and calm morning fee
the vapours of the Fall rifing in the air; you
would think all the woods thereabouts were fet -
on fire by the /udians, {o great is the apparent |
fmoak. In the fame manner you may fee it on
the Weft fide of the lake Arie, a great many
leagues. off. re et ea |
Several of the french gentlemen told me,
that when birds come flying into this fog or
{moak of the fall, they fall down and perifhin
the Water; either becaufe their wings are be-
come wet, or that the noife of the fall aftonifh-
es them, and they know not were to go in the
Dark : but others were of opinion, that
feldom or never any bird perifhes there in that
‘manner; becaufe, as they all agreed, among
the abundance of birds found dead below the
_ fall, there are.no other forts then fuch as live \
and {wim frequently in the water; as fwans,
geefe, ducks, water-hens, teal, and the like.
And very oiten great flocks of them are feen
going to deftruction in this manner: they fivim
in the river above the fall, and fo are carried
down lower and lower by the water, and as
water-fowl commoniy take great delight in |
being carry’d with the ftream, fo here they in- aa |
dulge themfelves in enjoying this pleafure fo |
long, till the {fwiftnefs of the water becomes fo
great, that ’tisno longer poflible for them to |
rife, but they are driven down. the precipice,
and perifh, They are obfery’d when recs
; raw
PSISESRSSISSSRUEL ARH CPESHE STpia ised HLRERE EE SODAS SET/ BIT LgTARRESEENe OUTED SUDATASISLabSIataigiADgcUsErasaHE Sa PUNFRTSIE zed FSTETATAFESPAT TASTER
. a] ad rh se
[ 83 ]
draw nigh the fall, to endeavour with all their
might, to take wing and leave the water , but
they ots Tn the months of September and
Oétober, fuch abundant quantities of dead wa-
terfowl are found every morning below the
Fall, on the fhore, that the garrifon of the fort
for along time live pepe upon them ; befides
the fowl, they find alfo feveral forts ee dead
fith, alfo deer, bears, aud other animals which
oe tried to crofs the water above the fall ;
the larger animals are pencatly found bavaen
to pieces. Juft below the fall the water is not
rapid, but goes all in circles and whirls likea
boiling pot ; which however doth not hinder the
iudians going wpon it in {mall canoes a fifhing;
but a little lower bee ns the fmaller fall.
When you are above the. fats and look down,
your head begins to turn: the kreuch who have
been here 100 times, will feldom venture to
look down, without at the fame time keeping
faft hold of fome tree with one hand.
It was formerly thought impoflible for any
body living to come at the Ifland that is in
the middle of the fall: but an accident that
happen’d 12 years ago, or thereabouts, made it
appear otherwife. ‘The hiftory 1 i8 thie Two
Indians of the Six Nations went out from
Niagara fort, to hunt upon an ifland that is
in the ie of the river, or ftrait, above the
eréat fall, on which there Hae to am abundance
of deer. They took tome french brandy with
them
esesdibiaria}izt» SLi shi paasebasis et
thea from the fort, which they tafted feveral
times as they were going over the carrying
place; and when they were in the canoe,
they took now and then a dram, and fo went
along up the ftrait towards the ‘Tiland, where
they propos’d to hunt; but growing fleepy,
they laid themfelves down in the canoe, which
getting loofe drove back with the ftream, far-
ther and farther down’ till it came nigh that
ifland that is in the middle of the fall. Here
one of them, awakened by the noife of the fall.
cries out to the other, that they were gone!)
yet they try’d if poffible to favelife. This ifland
was nigheit, and with much working they got
on fhore there. At firft they were glad; but
when they bad confider’d every, thing, they
thought themfelves hardly in a better ftate
than ifthey had gone down the fall, fince they
had now no other choice, than. et. her to throw
themfelves down the fame, or to perifh with
hunger. But hard neceflity put them on in-
vention. At the. lower end of the ifland the
rock 1s perpendicular, and no water. is running
there. This ifland has plenty of wood , they
went to work directly and made a ladder or
fhrouds of the bark of lindentree, ( which is
very tough and ftrong g3) {o long till they
could eich it reach the water below 5 one end
of this bark ladder they tied faft to a great
‘tree that grew at. the gon of the rock a-
bove the tall, and let the other end down
rs INS to
¢
S-LTApaipas tga RLaRTEH TaSPH HeTEIOR
,
L pees
to the water: So they went down along
their new-invented ftairs, and when they came
to the bottom in the middle of the fall,
they refted a little 5 and as the water next
below the fall is not rapid, as beforementi-
oned, they threw themfelves out into it,
thinking to {wim on fhore. I have faid be-
fore, that.one part of the fall is on one fide
ofthe ifland, the other on the other fide.
Hence it is, that the waters of the two ca-
taracts running againft each other, turn back
again{t: the rock that is juft under the ifland,
Therefore, hardly had the Iudiaus began to
{wim, before the waves of the eddy threw
them with violence againft the rock from
whence they. came. They tried it feveral
times, but at laft grew weary; and being
often thrown againft the rock they were
much bruis’d, and the skin of their bodies
torn in many places. So they were oblig’d
to climb up their ftairs again to the ifland, not
knowing what to do, After fome time they
perceived Judians on the fhore, to whom they
cried out. Thefe faw and pity’d them, but
gave them little hopes of help: yet they made
hafte down to the fort, and told the éomman-
der where. two of their brethren were. He
perfuaded them to try all. poffible means of
relieving the two poor Indians; and it was
‘done in-this manner, ‘The water that runs on
the eat fide of this ifland is fhallow, efpecially
a
[ ot |
a little above the ifland towards the eaftern
fhore.. ‘The commandant caufed poles to be
made, and pointed with iron: two Indians
determined to walk-to this ifland by the
help of thefe poles, to fave the other poor
creatures, or perith themfelves. They took
leave of all their friends as if they were going
to death. Each had two fuch poles in his
hands, to fet againft the bottom of the ftream,
to keep them {fteady, So they went and got:
to the ifland, and having given poles to the
two poor Judians there, they all returned fafely
to the main. 'Thofe two Judians who in the
above mentioned manner were firft brought to
this. ifland, are yet alive. They were nine
days on the ifland,and almoft ftarved to death.* -
—Now fince the way to this ifland has been
found, the Indians go there often to, kill deer,
which having tried to crofs the river above the
fall, were driven upon the ifland by the
ftream : but if the King of France would give
me all Canada, I would not yenture to go
to this ifland; and were you to fee it, Sir, I
am fure you would have the fame fentiment.
On the weft fide of this ifland are fome {mall
lands or rocks of no confequence, ‘Lhe eat
* Thefe Indians had better fortune than 10 or 12 Utowanwa's
who attempting to efcape here the purfuit of their Enemics
of the Six Nations, were carried down the Cataract, by the
violence of the ftream and every one perifhed:———-No part
even of their Canoe being ever feen again.
N 2 fide
re ee ee
a
[ 92 ]
fide of the river is nearly perpendicular, the
weft fide more floping. In former, times a
part of the rock ‘at the Fall which is on, the
weft fide of the ifland, hung over in ‘fuch a
manner, that the water which fell perpendi-
cularly from it, left.a vacancy below, fo that
people could go under between the rock and
the water ;_ but the prominent part fome years
Since broke off and fell down; fo that there
is now no poffibility of going between the
falling water and the rock, as the water now
runs clofe to it all the way down.———The
breadth of the Fall, as it runs into a femicircle,
is reckon’d to be about 6 Arpents. The ifland
is in the: middle ofthe Fall, and from it to
each fide -is almoft the fame breadth: the
breadth of the ifland at its lower end is two
thirds of an Arpent, or thereabouts. Below
the Fall in the holes of the rocks, are great
plenty of Eels, which the Jucyans and French
catch with their hands without other means ;
ffent down two Jndiaw boys, who diretly
came up with about twenty fine ones:
Fvery day, when the Sun fhines, you fee here
from 10 o’clock in the morning to 2 in the
afternoon, below the Fall, and ‘under you;
when you ftand at the fide over the Fall, a
glorious rainbow and fometimes two rainbows,
one within the other.
T was
| L fe 987] |
I was fo happy to be at the Fall on a fine
clear day, and it was with great delight 1
view’d this rainbow, which had almoft. all
the colours you fee in a rainbow ‘in the air.
‘The more vapours, the brighter and clearer
is the rainbow. I daw it onthe Eaft fide of
the Fall in the bottom under the place where
I ftood, but above the water. When the
wind carries the vapours from that place, the
rainbow is gone, but appears again as foon as
new vapours come. From the Fall to the
landing above the Fall, where the canoes from
Lake Erie put on fhore, (or from the Fall to
the upper end of the carrying-place) is halfa
mile. Lower the canoes dare not come, left
they fhould be obliged to try the fate of the
two Ivdians, and perhaps with lefs fuccefs.—
They have often found below the Fall pieces
of human bodies, perhaps of drunken Judians,
that have unhappily came down the Fall. of
was told at Ofwego, that in O¢fober, or there-
abouts, fuch plenty of feathers are to be found
here below the Fall, that a man in a days
time can gather enough of them for feveral
beds, which feathers they faid came off the ©
birds kill’d at the Fall. I ask’d the french,
if this was true? They told me they had never
feen any fuch thing; but that if the feathers
were pick’d off the dead birds, there might
be fuch a quantity. The French told me,
they had often thrown whole great trees into
the
j ce
5
\
fee
;
~ s3Rt SENT wi
Trae eer cegenes sd seve elerenssesghcnes¥y $0oy TnvessVgsusyegi#eioneaanasesdeesstePsatprarg ateseataslsinaioteraigtananaratergnunas misiaren aan seman er tg
: S
; et
ee eRe
Ria Siii pasties coe
Sasstars
TOSS
peenas
Se et nts perprr seers itesataranarey Bie teers ese ens: Seenireess =e : ross
i whacatacerts iz Pete SERS ssteaat seeinne seoratos tetmtenseese: ees Fer res “3
= = sisretacotgsescets earn eee erstessosatx srspaseste nee 8 Se tete te teaess 523 tents istaists ta eareros
sat
es hae
ease tedster ¢ rt
aa
Ss Sr
2 32=
sa
=
Se
ses2s
nose.
to oes
—
Spetseas
ete tetetece!
a
parerecererererss
—* Poe
pa PaO ae -O—? 7)
ene eae ee ts
eres te iter:
[94 J
the water above, to fee them tumble down
the Fall. They went down with furprifing
fwiftnefs, but couid never be feen afterwards ;
whence it was thought there was a bottomlefs
deep or abyfs juft under the Fall. Iam alfo
of Opinion, that there muft be a vaft deep
here; yet I think if they had watched very
well, they might have found the ‘trees at fome
diftance below the Fall. The rock of the
Fall confifts of a grey limeftone.
Here you have, Sir, a fhortbut exact deferip-
tion of this famous Niagara cataract: you may
depend on the truth of what I write. You
muft excufe me if you find in my acceount,
tio extravagant wonders. I cannot make na-
ture otherwife than J find it. Phad rather it
fhould be faid of mein time to come, that
i zelated things as they were, and that alk is
found to agree with my Deicription; than to
be eftcemd a falfe Relater. I have feen
fome other things in this my journey, an ac-
count of which I know would gratify your
euriofity ; but time at prefent will not permit
me. to write more; and I hope’ fhortly to
fee: you. Pains cy 303
PETER KALM.
i i : f NN f Se
i
)
:
'
f
:
ee
Pestitttrer tse porte
eet
S583;
t
sth
ith
att
a
cE nea
Hitt e i
i 7
a neh i
Hetty
LR a
i
eS
ann M7
ao
att
He
: a
A at
13
sty
2 _ :
ie
i i
ith
ttle
18
i
ana
ne
ce
Ha
|
pute
if
f
:
if
i
a
Tei)
iste
at 415 Ta td
it: nee
alrite ety
rae a
a i i?
a
i
Ts)
eit i sletate
: He in .
i en i ig
Hy it
my 19)
Hit
seb
th
?
Se Geeonnuarssauenuaweasousd
Roi P
S99SG2¢e84auaR08008
Seeecouesecouce
oy
Live Music
Archive
Librivox
Free Audio
Metropolitan Museum
Cleveland
Museum of Art
Internet
Arcade
Console Living Room
Open Library
American
Libraries
TV News
Understanding
9/11